Inside the Forbidden(minor edit)
by ShadowMoonSedai
Summary: The guys are taken from one world, only to be dropped ten years into the future... and things haven't changed as far as evil goes.
1. Default Chapter Title

A/N: To all you lovely Ronin people: I'M BACK!! ~tee hee~ anyway, this is the interesting fun story that took up most of my July writing. I loved this with every bit of my heart and the sequel stories too. Expect those up when I gather the desire to actually pull them off the disk, format them, change the italics(don't expect that one, though) and post them, 'kay? Love you, Buh-bye!(I was also slightly addicted to the Animaniacs this summer. Can you tell?)

Inside the Forbidden

Chapter 1- Meeting of Tapae, Charei, Houta

_I'm Charei Teno. Tapae Kenoh and Houta Kaio. My accomplices. You can't get anymore messed up then us. So what inept idiot chose we three to be the guides to the Ronins... needs to be slapped. We're not exactly the most.... hmm, how to phrase this? Sane? Yeah. That's the word I'm looking for. Sane. We're not completely with it, so to speak._

_I, for one, love kickboxing. It's the biggest thing in my life. Anytime I'm not in school or doing my homework, I'm kickboxing._

_Houta adores swimming. Inborn genes of a fish. And she's a Pisces too, so that works out for her. She's the best swimmer in our school, West Ottawa Junior High._

_Then... you've got Tapae. Her strongest ability is running, even though she excels in falling on her face and making an ass out of herself. Of course, Houta and I aren't much help, but at the same time..._

It's a normal scene. Three girls at a recreational center one day after school. Tapae was stretching up on the track, Houta was sitting on the edge of the pool, looking immensely forlorn, and Charei was on her stomach, her math book open on the diving board beneath her.

"Hey!" she called down. "Houta, what's wrong?!"

"He dumped me!" she yelled. "The bastard!"

"What?" asked Tapae. "He finally dumped you?"

"Yeah!" Charei closed her book and stood up, walking carefully so she didn't dump all her hard work into the pool. Instead, she dropped them fifteen feet to the cement poolside. Then she turned, ran to the edge of the board, and dove into the pool. "I can do it better," said Houta half-heartedly when she surfaced.

"'Course you can. Now, come on, Houta. Forget that creep. There are more guys in the world then just that loser. Right, Tapae?!"

"Something like that!" she said back, laughing. "Give it up, Houta! Be single, like the rest of us, and happy!"

"Fine!" agreed Houta, throwing her arms up in the air. Charei swam over to the edge and pulled herself out. "I don't know how you do it, but you do." She leaned over and splashed water at her friend. "But I can still dive better then you!"

"And? I can kick your ass with both hands tied behind my back!" Charei said, splashing her back. 

"Only because you're a kick-boxer!" she shot back. 

"Wow! Really? What was your first clue?!" Tapae was taking laps around the track now, her brown ponytail bouncing around with every step, green eyes determined, as usual. Houta dark purplish-blue hair was loose on her shoulders and strands framed her brown eyes. I know my eyes are blue, but sometimes, they don't go with the dark blue of my hair. It depends. Tapae said when I was angry, they're green fire and I don't doubt her, but why they don't go with my hair was beyond my sense and caring. I just don't give a flying kitten what others think. I was happy no matter what others say about me. Screw them all if they think I look like witch material, minus one wart(which some had said would come when I got older).

"Okay, you're right, this is stupid," she said. Charei had been listening to Houta, if barely. "Let's go catch a movie." Tapae, who had come off the track, gave a gasp.

"Charei, miss I-don't-do-anything-except-kick-box, is suggesting we do something that _isn't_ kick-boxing?" she said in astonishment. Charei stood up and gave her a shove in the general direction of towards the pool. "Damn it, Charei!"

"Don't mock me," she said. "And you won't get wet, 'kay?" She reached out my hand and helped her up out of the water. Just then, the water started to glow. "What the hell?"

"Is the water supposed to do that?" asked Tapae. 

"There's something weird going on..." The light condensed into a shape like a human and he was struggling, caught in something that looked like chain. "He's gonna drown!" said Houta. "Stay here, so you can help me get him out of the water!"

"Okay!" She pulled off her T-shirt and dove in the water. Charei watched her intently as she swam towards the guy who was fighting weakly now. The instant Houta touched the chains, they vanished and she pulled him to the surface. "Are you alright, Houta?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Those things... they weren't metal, I'll say that much. Help me here." Tapae and Charei both grabbed one of the guy's arms and pulled him out. He was still breathing, but it was shallow. "We need to call a doctor-" 

"No," he said suddenly, his eyes opening slightly. "I'll be fine, I promise." He tried to sit up, to no avail. 

"You're an idiot," said Houta. "You drank a ton of chlorine and water. You need a doctor."

"She's got a point." Charei had just noticed blood seeping through his sweatshirt. "You're bleeding." He looked at the spreading line of red and winced.

"I'll be fine," he muttered. Tapae sighed and shook her head.

"Well, he's a guy, we can be sure of that," she said. "So, if he insists that he's alive, the least we can do is take him for some rest and dry clothes." Charei stood up and grabbed her jacket and shorts. 

"I'll get my bi- hmm. Guess we should take a car. I'll get Houta's car and you two get our stuff together, 'kay?" They nodded. "Good." She ran off to find Houta's car. The parking garage downtown was incredibly big and over used, in her opinion. _I'm parked on the twelfth floor, section R, row seven, space 13. Or is it the seventh floor, row thirteen, space twelve? Oh, brother, this is gonna take awhile._

Thankfully, her car was locatable(Thirteenth floor, section R, row seven, space 12. _Why am I not surprised?_). She got in and maneuvered down. _Man, I hate this place. It's worse on a motorcycle, but this takes a bit more concentration_. 

"This is ridiculous," she muttered, finally pulling out into the street. "I wonder what idiot built this place. And what kinda of crack he was doing at the time? There's something wrong. No, not with me. I know there's a lot wrong with me. I mean in the _air_. So I've resorted to talking to myself."

It was gonna get worse. 

She pulled up to the front of the recreational building and got out as Houta, the guy, and Tapae came out. He was walking on his own, but his hand was wrapped around his arm.

"I've gotta get my bike," she said. "I'll follow you."

"You and that bike," said Tapae. "You love that thing more then the world, Charei. Be careful. I've seen you drive," she added, throwing Charei her helmet over the top of the car. 

"I'll be fine," she said, walking back to the elevator. Her _bike_ was on the twelfth floor, section R, row seven, space thirteen. She brushed her hair out of her face and pulled the helmet on. A few seconds later, rubble from the bottom of the floor overhead rained down. If she hadn't been wearing her helmet, she probably would've gotten a severe blow to the head. _Not that I need one of those. _

She looked up and saw several cracks in the ceiling. More appeared, a few feet away and kept moving, like something was jumping around. Charei kicked her bike into gear and quickly rode up the ramp to the next level. Four things that looked like heavy set men in tin suits(armor?) were fighting a single guy in regular clothes who looked like he was only half conscious, but ready to fight. 

She revved the engine, hoping to get their attention. It worked. They looked right at her.

"I don't know what you are," she said. "But only cowards attack people who are injured." Charei gunned the engine again and moved forward slowly, waiting for them to go for her first. When they did, she raced in between them and grabbed the guy's arm. 

"Are you insane?!" he yelled as she pulled him onto the back of her bike.

"Hold on!" she shouted, hitting the gas and flying down the ramp. "Here's a question: you wouldn't happen to know a red haired guy with a British accent, would you?"

"Yeah!" he said. "Why?" She shook my head.

"No reason."

Chapter 1-Location of Wildfire and Hardrock

"Where is she?" asked Tapae, moving aside the curtains to look out into the night. The darkness was almost stifling.

"She's fine," said Houta. "So you're saying you don't have a clue how you got into the pool?" Cye nodded.

"One minute I was fighting, the next I was in the pool," he said. 

"Where is she?" repeated Tapae. Suddenly, there was the sound of her motorcycle and a light came through the window. "Finally- what the hell? Who's that with her?"

"She goes on her own and ends up picking up some guy," muttered Houta. "Why am I not surprised?" Cye stood up and looked out the window.

"That's Rowen!" he said.

"You know him?" asked Houta and Tapae at the same time. 

"Yeah. He's a friend of mine."

"Open the damn door! I lost my keys at the pool!" came Charei's voice. Tapae slapped her forehead.

"Duh. I knew I had something other then her helmet to give her," she said. Houta's mouth dropped open, then she resolved to not say anything and opened the door. "Hey Charei. You're keys are in the car."

"Tapae, I need to beat you," said Charei. "Guys, meet Rowen. Another instant drop in."

"What do you mean?" asked Houta.

"During the battle, there was a weird flash of light," said Rowen. "I think it brought us to where ever here is and split us up too."

"But," said Charei. "Rowen was in the parking garage. So your other friends must've been close by. We can look tomorrow, but it's too late. If they ended up in one of the buildings, there's no way we can get to them. Besides, I'm not stupid. We're all exhausted, especially you two." She looked at Rowen, who was looking at her. "Well, I am. See you in the morning." And she walked off. 

"Umm..." Houta pressed her lips into a thin line, then looked at Tapae. "Come on, Cye, Rowen, I'll show you guys where everything is. Tapae, go talk to Charei."

"No prob, Houta," said Tapae, with a mock salute. She laughed at Houta's death look, then started after Charei.

***************

Rowen made his way from the guest bedroom to the kitchen, trying to remember the way. They were all at Tapae's house, since her parents were on an extended vacation to Europe and would be gone for a good six months. 

He was halfway to his goal when he passed the balcony doors, which were open, but curtains billowed in the wind. Charei was standing in the dark sunlight, her eyes staring angrily at the ground.

"Good morning," he said. She jerked in surprise and turned around. Confusion flashed across her face, but was gone a second later.

"Rowen?" she asked. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

"I've been awake for awhile. It's not your fault. I never got to thank you for last night." She smiled gently.

"No problem. Those things weren't being honorable. I don't let that kinda stuff slid."

"Houta said you're into kick-boxing."

"Yeah. Since I was little..." she trailed off and looked at the sunrise. It reflected in her eyes, giving them a deeper look. "Can I tell you something?"

"What?"

"It seems stupid... but I've been doing stuff all my life and everything I do feels like I'm training. I did Karate, then kick-boxing, all the while swimming and running with Houta and Tapae, and gymnastics on top of that."

"Doesn't sound like you have a lot of free time." She shook her head slowly.

"Not really... Houta and Tapae are among my only close friends." 

"Charei, if you're up, you wanna start breakfast?" came Tapae's half awake voice. "Anytime within the next three hours would be good, since it's ten and I'm hungry."

"Get right on that for you," said Charei, rolling her eyes. "You wanna help?"

"Sure. I'll be in the house minute." She grinned and walked inside. There was something... he was so nice. A lot nicer then most of the guys she knew.

"I can make breakfast," said Cye.

"Uh-uh," said Houta, shaking her head. "Not with your arm. Just chill, Cye. Let us do this. We've got six months of living on our own ahead of us. Tapae, get in here!"

"What?" muttered Tapae, shuffling into the kitchen. "Do you know how early it is?"

"It's ten in the morning. Time to wake up, sleeping beauty. You know it was your turn to make breakfast."

"Yeah... it was?"

"Yes!"

"Well, I forgot! Don't get on my case!" Charei rolled her eyes and pushed them both into the next room. When she came back, Cye had started making eggs, despite his arm, and Rowen was setting the table.

"I'll never understand them," she said, opening the refrigerator. "What do you guys want to drink? We'll end up eating just ourselves if they keep this up."

"What are the choices?" asked Rowen, setting down a plate.

"Orange juice, grape juice, grape_fruit_ juice, milk, and there's probably more in here somewhere." She started to push around things before pulling out a small container. She opened it and wrinkled her nose. It was thrown into the sink. "I'll have to remember to clean this out sometime eventually."

"Eventually?" asked Rowen. She chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah. When I find the time." 

"I wonder where the others are," said Cye, flipping an egg. "We all ended up in trouble. They could be too." Charei paused, then pulled out the orange juice and leaned against the door.

"I thought about that last night," she said. "And I remembered seeing some weird flashes inside the old packing warehouse. It's right next door to the parking garage and it happened too quick. Any other time, I would've stopped, but those tin men were on my tail, so I had no intention of stopping."

"Could they still be down there?" She shrugged.

"It's possible. Then again... it's also possible that they were in trouble like you and they didn't get out so easily, if they did at all."

"What are you saying?"

"The longer we wait, the less they last, I'm guessing. There's a chance their just fine and then..."

"You're a pessimist, aren't you?"

"Only today. Come on. Houta! Tapae! Are you coming?!"

"Where?!" came two voices in unison.

"Downtown." She picked up her motorcycle helmet off the counter and started towards the garage. "Meet you down there."

"I'm going with you," said Rowen. She shook her head.

"No way, Row. I'll be fine. I'm a big girl, but thanks for caring." She grinned at him and disappeared through the door. 

"She'll be okay," said Cye, but Rowen wasn't so sure.

"It would be alright if... those Dynasty soldiers saw her last night, so they'll know who she is and that she helped us. She'll be a target and she's by herself."

"What? Where'd Charei go?" asked Tapae coming into the kitchen. "Oh, man, don't tell me she went off her own. She's always doing this!" 

"Let's go," sighed Houta. "One of these days, I swear, she's gonna get hurt. Reckless, no respect for authority... I don't know what to do with her anymore."

"For one, keep her alive," said Tapae. "Let's go. We can still catch her."

***************

Charei stood in the middle of four soldiers and two were already down. Rowen took a step forward, but Cye stopped him.

"She's doing okay. We'll help if she's in trouble," he said quietly. "Tapae, you said you knew your way around this building. Any ideas?"

"If they're not in the main part, then They've gotta be somewhere in either the basement or the office," she said. "If the soldiers are here, then one of your friends has to be too, but maybe they haven't found him yet." There was the distinct sound of metal against metal. Charei had gotten hold of a pipe and beaten another soldier. Two of them dove for her at the same time, each grabbing one side of the pipe. Before she could react, the third slammed into her, knocked her back into the wall. "Charei!" yelled Tapae as her friend crumbled to the ground.

"I think she's in trouble," said Cye. "Houta, Tapae, you stay here-" But Houta shook her head. 

"We'll start looking. Come when you've got Charei." The two girls climbed down the ladder to the ground. "Where do we start?" asked Houta as the guys went to help Charei. 

"Let's try the basement," said Tapae. "It's this way." They slipped in the shadows and down a rotting staircase. "Be careful. One of these steps is gone." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her mini-flashlight. The light showed two steps were now broken, right in succession. "Watch your step." They made it down into the darkness. A faint musty odor mixed with the thick air and a metallic smell, making Houta gag. "Do you have your flashlight?"

"Yeah. Hold on." Houta dug around in her backpack and pulled out her flashlight. It was bigger then Tapae's, but the light seemed weaker. "I must've forgotten to change the batteries."

"No, I remember you did," said Tapae. "Last night, after everyone was in bed. Look. Mine's dying too and this thing doesn't take batteries. I just took it off the charger this morning." Both lights dimmed, then went out. "A lot of good this does us."

"We'll have to use our other senses. Listen." There was a scraping sound. It was light and consistent. "A mouse. Or a spider." 

"It's a pretty big spider," whispered Tapae. She sniffed the air. "I smell... blood. Oh, I wish this thing would work!" She hit the flashlight hard on the palm of her hand. There was a shimmer of light around it suddenly, then the beam came back on, stronger then ever. "Ohhhkay."

"Not bad, Tapae. When all else fails, beat the shit out of it, right?"

"Whatever works..." Tapae didn't sound right. "Man, my head hurts. Must be because of all the light. It came too fast for my eyes. Look!" The floor was wet and dark. Houta bent down and touched it with her fingers while Tapae moved the beam up. It fell on an unconscious boy with black hair. "Bingo! Found him!"

"This is blood," said Houta. "He's hurt. Let's get him upstairs." Tapae switched the flashlight to her other hand and picked up one of the guy's arms. He groaned when they moved him, but stayed unconscious. 

"You know, I'm still wondering where these guys come from," said Tapae. "Careful. The broken steps are coming up." They made it over the broken steps with little problem. Then something latched onto Houta's ankle. "Houta!"

"Keep going!" said Houta. "Get him out of here! Let me go!" She hit the tentacle with her flashlight. "Go, Tapae!" Tapae shifted the guy's weight to her shoulder and kept going up the stairs. Houta waited until she was gone, then a blue light surrounded her. "Force of water, here my cry!" she yelled. "Release the light!" The blue light exploded, wiping out the tentacle and the creature it had come from.

Upstairs, more soldiers had appeared with the arrival of Rowen and Cye. Suddenly, a blue light shot from the cracks in the floor and sliced them to ribbons. Rowen and Cye looked at each other.

"Rowen! Cye! I need your help!" shouted Tapae. She was struggling with an unconscious boy. An orange glow vanished from her and she collapsed to her knees. They ran to help her, but she was up in a minute. "I've got to help Houta!" 

"What? Is she in trouble?" asked Charei. She pushed herself weakly off the ground. "Where is she?"

"You're staying right where you are," said Tapae. "You've got the crap beat out of you. Don't move, Charei, I'll get her." Tapae turned an ran back to the stairs. Houta was passed out at the top, her hands clenched tightly. "Houta, Houta, wake up, please, wake up!" Houta groaned and lifted her head.

"Tapae?" she asked. "What the... is it gone?"

"Yeah, it's gone. Come on, we've gotta get you out of here." She helped Houta to her feet and they made their way to the rest of the people. Charei had gotten up and was sitting on her knees near the boy and the other two guys. "So do you know him?" Rowen nodded.

"His name's Ryo," he said. "But now we've still got to find Sage and Kento."

"Let's take this one step at a time," said Charei. "He's hurt and half dead. Let's get him back to the house first and figure out what to do while we stop him from dying." She stood up carefully and brushed her hair from her face. "Come on."

"Charei, leave your bike here," said Rowen. "You're injured. You can't be riding-"

"Watch me," she snapped. "I don't need you watching out for me." She stalked off, angry. Not at Rowen, but at herself. _He's trying to watch out for me. But... it's not right. He's injured and I can handle myself. _

It was almost night by the time they all made it back to the house. Ryo was moved to another guest bedroom and Houta tended his wounds silently. Charei collapsed on the couch and fell asleep. Cye said he was going to make something to eat, since they had skipped breakfast and disappeared into the kitchen. Tapae curled up in a chair with a book, only half paying attention and Rowen went out onto the balcony. Charei muttered occasionally in her sleep and tossed a little bit. Rowen came back in and laid a blanket over her. She stopped moving and slept quietly from then on.

About an hour later, everyone had eaten, save Charei and Ryo, and gone to bed. Charei stayed on the couch. Before too long, hunger woke her up. She rubbed sleep from her eyes and wondered why they hadn't woken her up to go to bed, then decided it didn't matter and walked into the kitchen to make something to eat. _Maybe I was too harsh on Rowen, _she thought, leaning her elbows on the counter and looking at the baloney sandwich in front of her_. He's only trying to help. I was too pissed at the soldiers to think clearly. Man, those things pack a punch._ Lightening flashed outside and a thumping echoed through the house. Someone was knocking at the door. _Who in the world..._ She walked carefully down the stairs and listened. There is was again, but this time, more lightening flashed. There _was_ someone at the door! Charei's hand reached out slowly. Her instinct was telling her there was something weird going on...

A cold wind blew in when she finally opened the door. There was no one there. _But I could've sworn someone was here..._ She pushed open the screen only to find out it wouldn't go. It was hitting something. "Holy-! Houta! Tapae! Rowen! Cye!" she yelled. There was a boy laying on the step, unconscious. Rowen was the first to reach her.

"It's Kento!" he said. "Let's get him inside." Between the two of them, they managed to bring him inside the house. He was out cold, but remarkably unharmed. He groaned and pushed himself off the ground carefully.

"Where... am I?" he asked. "Rowen? What are you doing here?"

"Let's get him upstairs," said Charei. Rowen nodded. "You explain. I'll get him something warm to drink."

"How about something to eat?" suggested Kento hopefully. Rowen laughed.

"It's Kento all right." Chuckling, she nodded and walked into the kitchen. "Are you okay? Where have you been?"

"I don't know. I remember the battle, then there was a light, and some girl, and then I was here," he said. "Hey Cye." Cye, Houta, and Tapae came into the living room, Tapae still only half awake. Houta walked over to Kento and touched the gash on the side of his head. She looked at her fingers, then sighed and wiped them on her nightgown before walking off. "What the-"

"Houta's got this thing with injured people," said Tapae. "She's probably going to get a bandage."

"But... it's not even bleeding anymore..." Kento trailed off as Houta came back in.

"You were out in the rain for who knows how long and it's gonna get infected," she said firmly, casting a glance at Tapae. The other girl made a sound like a laugh and buried her face in her hands. 

"I swear, that wasn't my fault!" Kento shifted and Houta glared.

"Hold still," she ordered. She wrapped a bandage around his head carefully as Charei came back with a tray of hot chocolate and some sandwiches. She set them down and went back into the door. "Okay. You're all set. How's your arm, Cye?"

"It's fine, Houta," he assured her. She didn't seem very trusting, but went to check on Ryo anyway. Rowen went into the kitchen to find Charei, but she wasn't there. 

"What the- Charei, where are you?" he asked. No answer. The door to the garage was open, but her bike was still there and so were Houta's car and Tapae's SUV. "Charei?" Still no answer. He started to shut the door when it stopped on something. He bent down and picked it up. Charei's hair clip...

Chapter 2 -Charei Vanishes

The light swirled around in Houta's head. She leaned over the pool's edge and looked down. 

"Dimsera," she whispered. "Force of water, hear my cry. Bring me Dimsera!" The water rippled and in place of Houta's reflection was a young woman with dark hair and eyes like hers, only she bore a strange symbol on her forehead.

"You called, Houta?" said the reflection.

"Charei's disappeared. We looked everywhere."

"Your friend will turn up. What have you learned about the mission?"

"I think Tapae may be descended from Semakai. When we were searching for one of the Ronins, our flashlights died, but hers came back on. I think she may have used some of her power without knowing it. There was a taste of Earth in the air afterwards."

"It is possible. If her emotions were strong enough, she could've tapped into the power. Have you found them all?"

"We're still short Halo. I think he's been captured. Dimsera, it is possible for a person without power to stand up to six Dynasty soldiers and still live?"

"What do you mean?"

"Something about Charei's been bothering me. Maybe... maybe she's a Descendent too." Dimsera make a clicking noise with her tongue.

"You want to have a reason for her disappearance, Houta, but I doubt she is a Descendent. It would be too easy that two of the family have been right your nose this whole time. Keep looking."

"Alright, Dimsera. Force of water, hear my cry. Release the captured!" The water rippled again and Houta's own reflection appeared. Not a moment too soon. Cye came into the building.

"Hey," he said. "Taking a break?"

"Yeah. I had to spent some time thinking," she answered, lowering herself into the pool. "I'm gonna swim some laps. It's too quiet around here without Charei to race with me." 

"I'll race you."

"You? What about your arm?"

"It's fine. You did a good job when you bandaged it." She grinned.

"You're on."

***************

Tapae pushed open the door quietly and was surprised to see Ryo sitting up.

"How do you feel?" she asked. "Are you hungry?"

"Who are you?" he said after a minute.

"Tapae Kenoh. Your friends are here. Some of them. Cye went to the recreational center, Rowen's downstairs in the kitchen with Kento, and we're still trying to find Sage."

"Find him? Where did he go?"

"All of you were brought here by some weird flash of light during your last battle. You've been unconscious for a few days since we found you in the warehouse basement."

"Where is here?"

"Toyama, Japan, but it's not the same place you're from. This is Toyama in a different dimension. Are you hungry?" she repeated, motioning to the try of food she had set down on the table. "Cye made some stuff before he left. He thought you might wake up today."

Downstairs...

Rowen sat and watched the rain. It had been raining for three days straight, since the night they had found Kento passed out on Tapae's front step. But even that experience hadn't curbed Kento's appetite. He was in the middle of his second sandwich. 

"Where is she?" asked Rowen absent-mindedly. "What's taking her so long?"

"Who? Houta's at the pool and Tapae's upstairs," said Kento, swallowing. "If you're worried about Charei, why don't you go look for her?"

"Where? Houta and Tapae already checked everywhere she could be."

"You know what'd be weird? If she was with Sage." Rowen froze, then looked at his friend. It took Kento a minute to realize what he said. "Are you thinking.... the Dynasty got her?"

"That would make sense. She just suddenly disappeared."

"But why her? They had a chance at all of us when we were alone. Especially Ryo. They could've killed him, no problem, but Houta and Tapae managed to find him without any trouble. Why would they go after Charei?"

"It never made any sense..." whispered a voice. Houta and Cye stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Houta's hair was wet and loose on her shoulders, and she looked pale as death. "Dimsera said that she... that lying son of a... I'll kill her!" She turned and pushed by Cye, disappearing out the back door. 

Houta ran through the cold rain, absorbing as much strength as she could to keep her going. How could it be? How could Dimsera have missed something so incredible? Tapae was a Descendent... and Charei too?

_It's all in the eyes..._ Dimsera's words echoed through her head. _They're eyes will tell you. Fire like emerald, tears like sapphires, strength like Earth, hope like clouds, and desire like light. You'll know when you see them, Houta. You have tears like sapphires. You are the Water. You must find the Fire, Earth, Air, and Light..._

"Leave me alone!" cried Houta. "Force of Water, hear my cry! Bring me protection from the darkness!" She raised her hands above her head and tilted her head back, eyes closed. "Release my soul into sanctity!" _And sanity._ she added silently. The rain glowed blue and swirled around her. Nothing made sense. Nothing had made sense since she had looked into the surface of the pool and seen Dimsera. The Descendants... five remaining children of a lost clan...

Sealed in the shield, her energy dying, Houta laid down on the wet ground and looked up. The rain hit an invisible barrier and slid down around her, but her thoughts were racing a mile a minute. She tried to remember the story she had been told by Dimsera, about the Descendants...

_"Many, many centuries ago, there were three groups. The humans, the Descendants, and the Dynasty. The humans and the Descendants had no problems with each other: there was little in difference between them other then the fact that Descendants had been born from the gods made mortal. But the Dynasty was evil and saw the alliance as a problem. It created a hatred between the humans and Descendants. But we would not fight against our former allies. Instead, we put our efforts to destroying the Dynasty, all the while hoping the humans would rejoin us. But we hoped too much. They fought amongst themselves, fueling the Dynasty the whole time. We fell, the Descendants and human alike. Finally, only six remained. Five of us were trapped in our elements, desiring only to awake and restart when the Dynasty was gone. The six defeated Talpa and split his armor into nine lesser armors: the Ronin and Warlord armors..._

Tapae found Houta the next morning, lying on the ground, confusion on her face. The rain had stopped, leaving a darkened sky that thundered whenever it wanted. Tapae knelt down and sighed in relief when she saw her friend was alive.

"Houta, what were you doing out here?" she asked softly. "Do you know? Why didn't you come to me before? Force of Earth, hear my plea. Bring to me the one called Semakai." The ground trembled and shook. Dirt and grass rose from the ground, forming a human shape. 

"Yes, Tapae?"

"Do you sense anything around?"

"There is a strong amount of Water. She formed a shield against the rain and kept it tied to her. Tapae, all she needs is rest and she'll be fine."

"Have you found anything on Charei?"

"No. Her life force is too weak for me to find. It will take awhile, if she is still alive."

"Fire doesn't die easily, Semakai, remember that. Force of Earth, hear my plea. Release the captured!" The ground shook again, waking Houta from her dreamless sleep. The human shape disappeared back into the ground, the only mark a path of bare dirt. Soon, a holly bush grew in the spot. _Semakai, you don't like to leave anything undone, do you?_

"So you _are_ Earth," said Houta weakly. Tapae helped her up.

"Shh. I know the legend, I know who you are. We've got 'tears of sapphire' and 'strength of Earth'. Charei is 'Fire like emerald'. It's in the eyes."

"How long have you known?"

"Since I almost fell off a cliff and was saved by a hand that came from the side. It was Semakai. She told me everything and said I couldn't die. Not until all of the Descendants were together again."

"Do you tell-"

"No. Not yet. She has to discover it on her own. And as for the guys... let's wait until we've got Sage of Halo, okay? Ryo's awake now too."

"Is he? Was he anymore help then Kento, Cye, and Rowen?"

"Not really. He's still a little weak. But whatever happens, I know we can count on him. His power is still hidden."

***************

Tapae walked out onto the balcony and stopped just behind Ryo.

"What's on your mind?" she asked quietly. He lifted his head and smiled weakly at her. She pulled herself onto the railing next to him. "Come on, Ryo. You can't hide anything from me. I know you're worried."

"Why were we brought here?" he wondered. She locked her ankles around the bars and tilted her head.

"What do you mean? Destiny brought you here."

"Yeah... but why?" Tapae leaned backwards and let go of the railing with her hands. "Tapae! Are you nuts?!"

"Yup," she said. 

"Come back up here before you fall." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"No. I happen to like doing this. I don't care if I fall. I've been doing this since I was six and never fallen once, so it was obviously meant to happen if I do. That doesn't mean I can stop it, but it also doesn't mean I'll get hurt. It's not _that_ far to the ground. You're thinking too hard, Ryo. Destiny does things because it's supposed to: it doesn't know what the outcome will be. It's up to those that are effected to decide what happens to the rest of the world." She reached her arms up, grabbed the railing, and pulled herself up. "Don't worry so much about the 'why' as you do about the 'how' and 'where'. Like 'Where's Sage of Halo' and 'How do we get him back'." There was silence. Then Ryo turned around and leaned against the rail, smiling. "What?"

"You're face is all red."

"What? Oh, yeah." She laughed. "Blood rush." She raked her fingers through her hair and grinned. "Let's go eat."

"What?"

"Cye sent me out here to get you for dinner," she explained. "He made some kind of casserole. I can't believe you haven't smelled it yet." She jumped down and grabbed his hand. "Come on!" Something shot through her, but she ignored it. There wasn't time for petty things like a crush… even if he was cute…

"Smells good," said Ryo as they walked into the kitchen. Tapae let go of his hand and went around Cye to get plates down from the cupboard. Houta, who had slept all day and felt much better, reached into a drawer to get knives. Her hand caught on one, leaving a long cut on her palm. 

"Damn it!" she swore, yanking her hand back. Some blood spilled onto the counter. "Son of a-"

"Are you alright, Houta?" asked Ryo. She shook her head. 

"I'll be right back." Kento, who had been standing next to the drawer, barely saw her go. His eyes were trained on something else. Houta's blood...

"Guys..." he said hesitantly. Tapae jerked up and saw what he did: Houta's blood had formed the symbol of Water and Courage, the same symbol the Dimsera had on her head. "What is that?" Tapae's hand brushed a glass of water, spilling it and diluting the mark.

"Oops," she said, grabbing a towel and wiping up the mess. "That was a stupid move. I'm gonna go see how Houta's doing." She ran off, still holding the towel. "We've got to be more careful. The Descendent is taking over."

"Yeah, I know," said Houta, motioning to the blood in the sink. It had formed the same figure. "I didn't think it could do that."

"Just clean yourself up. We've got to start looking for Charei. And Sage too. I have a feeling they're both in the same place."

Chapter 3 -Halo and Fire

Charei groaned and tried to lift her head, but she didn't have the strength. She felt... exhausted, angry, betrayed. Her friends had known all along about the Descendants and never told her...

"Sage, are you awake?" she asked, pushing herself off the ground. The young, blonde haired guy who'd been sharing the same torture as her, groaned, then lifted his head.

"Yeah. Are you alright, Charei?"

"I've been better," she replied. "I'm beginning to wonder about them. Where are they?"

"This is the Dynasty. It's not exactly an easy place to navigate," said Sage, wiping blood off his lip. "They're going easy on us. It was bad the first day, but they haven't made it worse."

"It's been too long," she muttered. "I don't know what's what anymore during those torture sessions. I just wanna get out of here and go home."

"We both do," said Sage. "But it's not that easy. They took my armor."

_They took my Soul_, thought Charei, walking over to the barred window. _I can't use Fire Wing Soul without the orb and it's impossible to use any of the other four. Damn it! If only I could use the power of the Descendent that Talpa wants so bad!_

"Charei, do you know what a Descendent is?" asked Sage. She shook her head absent-mindedly. 

"If I did, I could use it and get us the hell out of here," she muttered. "What the-" There were soldiers rushing from out of the building, running away. "Sage, check this out. Where are they going?"

"There must be something strong coming this way," he said. They exchanged a glance.

"The others?" they asked at the same time.

"That settles it," said Charei. "They're coming. Talpa's not gonna be happy."

"We'll have to watch out," he agreed. "They've got us right where they need us. We'd be real easy bait against our friends." The door opened and four soldiers came in. "Damn." Charei dodged under the arms of one of them, but got caught off guard by another. She crumbled. "Charei!"

"She's too weak. Grab Halo and let's get back to Master Talpa." Sage went quietly, watching Charei the whole time they made their way through the dungeons. She didn't move and blood was running down the side of her face. Suddenly, the soldiers turned. They weren't headed towards Talpa's throne room...

"What the-"

"I knew I hit her too hard," said a familiar voice. He carefully laid Charei down on the ground and pulled off the helmet. "Damn. These things are hot. How is it possible to wear something like this?"

"You gotta figure that they're not made for humans," said another voice. "Yeah, I do think you hit her too hard."

"Ryo?" asked Sage in disbelief. "Cye?"

"Don't forget about us." Kento and Rowen pulled off their helmets and Kento grinned. "Hey buddy." Sage sat down on the ground, shaking his head.

"But if you're here, what were the soldiers so upset about? They were running all over the place."

"Yeah, we noticed that too. But the less soldiers around, the better." Charei groaned softly and her eyes opened.

"Guys?" she asked weakly. "What the hell... I thought I felt... ow, my head." She sat up and touched the mark gently. "Alright, who hit me?"

"I did," said Ryo sheepishly. "I didn't mean to hit you so hard, but I had to convince the soldiers outside that we were like them."

"Well, I'm sure you did a very good job, but... that hurts." She crossed her legs and rested her elbows on her knees. "Where are Houta and Tapae?"

"They stayed back in the mortal realm," said Cye. Charei shook her head slowly. "What?"

"Nothing. But I really doubt they stayed back. It's not their way."

"Are you saying they came here?" asked Ryo. She shrugged.

"It's possible in every sense. They would've been what distracted the soldiers. Did they know what you were gonna do?" He nodded hesitantly. "There you go. They provided the distraction..." White-hot pain ripped through her. Where was this coming from? Only one thing had ever felt like this... 

**She is not worthy of this power,** laughed a voice.

"Talpa!" said Ryo. "What are you doing to her?!"

**She will live... if you bring her to me. I hold her life in my hands. She will die is she does not receive her power back into her body.**

"What is he talking about?" asked Kento.

"Fire... Soul..." moaned Charei faintly. "Return..." She passed out, her energy gone.

"We've got to do what he says," said Sage. "Or we'll risk her life. We can't take the chance. Talpa's got my kanji orb too." Rowen picked up Charei's limp body and she shifted her arm so her hand rested on her stomach. There was something clutched in her hand and she didn't want to let it go. 

***************Tapae leapt back from a spear.

"Force of Earth!" she yelled. "Hear my plea! Release the strength!" The ground ripped apart, sending most of the soldiers into the lava flow far below. Tapae brought her hands together and the chasm closed, sealing their fates. "Come on," she said to the remaining few. "You really wanna take me?"

"Spiral..." Houta stood, half submerged in water. It started swirling around her, until the bottom was completely void of water under her feet. She raised her arms up and it grew larger. "Torrent!" It moved from her to the ground, sucking up the soldiers. When it cleared, they were nowhere to be seen. "Tapae, let's go!"

"Coming! Force of-" That's all her last few needed. They took off and Tapae laughed. "Or not."

"Stop goofing off and let's go!" Houta shook her head as Tapae ran to catch up to her. 

Charei could feel the connection. She had the orb, but it part of it was still with Talpa and he was using it to take her energy from her. And there was nothing she could to do to stop the guys from walking into a trap, like they were. 

_Fire Wing Soul, protect them. Please, don't let me die before I can keep them from getting killed._ The pain was intense. Charei loosened her hold on the orb and let her thoughts wander. _If it takes my last breath,_ she thought. _I'll defeat that bastard. The world deserves so much more._ She felt herself being lowered to the ground.

"Do it, Talpa," said a voice firmly. There was a cold laugh that cut through her. Her pain doubled and her energy left her totally. Rowen stepped back as a red glow erupted from her clenched hand. Another glow, exactly the same, came from Talpa's hand and he laughed again. 

"She is mine, Ronins. And you brought her to me!" 

"Ronins, armor up!" yelled Ryo. "Armor of Wildfire! Dao Jin!"

"Halo! Dao Chi!"

"Strata! Dao Inochi!"

"Hardrock! Dao Gi!"

"Torrent! Dao Shin!" Through the haze of pain, Charei felt something cold fighting the heat. It spread in her and protected her. The light of the piece of Fire Wing Soul in her hand died and the pain stopped. But she was still too weak to do anything about Talpa and the guys fighting. 

Tapae and Houta ran into the throne room, only to see that Charei was half dead and the Ronins weren't doing so well against Talpa, even in their armors.

"Can we help them?" asked Tapae. "Say we can help them."

"How? Out of our element and surrounded by all of this dark power, we won't be able to do anything without exhausting ourselves."

"Charei's in trouble! I don't care about myself. She's gonna die if we don't do something! Force of Earth, hear my plea!" Houta sighed as the light surrounded Tapae. There was just no pleasing some people.

"Force of Water, hear my cry!" Charei felt the pain end and strength flow into her. She opened her eyes slowly, feeling the numbness disappear from her body. Was this it? This new power... it wasn't Fire Wing Soul... was it the power of the Descendent that Talpa wanted so badly?

_It can't be… why am I connected and how? I already have a destiny to die as the Soul Bearer, Fire Wing. _She tried to fight the power, to know avail. Her voice, and not her voice at the same time, rose out of her throat. "Force of Fire, hear my blight!" The light from her piece of orb flared, then died,and another glow surrounded her. Two lines of white energy connected her to Houta and Tapae, forming a triangle. "Release!" Three more lines, one from each, shot towards the ceiling, forming a pyramid. The guys looked at each other in awe, their battle forgotten. Whatever this was, it was giving them _all_ strength. Talpa disintegrated, sending dark energy that hit the edge of the pyramid and vanished. The light pulled back. "This is the gift we give you and your armors. Our brother destroyed Talpa once a long time ago and split him into nine. These three girls, and two more, will be able to help you fully defeat the Dynasty once in for all. Charei is Fire. Her greatest ability will be making the Wildfire armor stronger and keeping its wearer alive. And she will be able to unite all five Descendants and all five elements of the heavens."

"Houta is Water. She will give energy and ability to the Torrent armor, as well as heal and care for the Descendants and you five. Her powers will not be easily exhausted. She knows nothing of the path of ahead of her, so beware the corruption of darkness."

"Tapae is Earth. She is still learning and will be helpful only to the Hardrock armor until she had gained more strength. Please, Ronins, watch them. They are the last of two extinct clans long dead by the Dynasty's hand. When the time comes, you will know their story." The light faded from each of them and they collapsed. Suddenly, the red glow came from Charei's hand again. A second light came from where Talpa had been last. Rowen carefully bent over and picked up the piece, then brought it to Charei. It joined with its companion, and the light was gone.

"What's going on?" asked Kento impatiently after silence. "When did they get mystical powers?"

"I don't know, but their bodies are spent. We should get them back and let them rest. Us too," said Ryo, looking at his friends. Despite the power they had been given by the three girls, they were all worn out.

Epilogue -Truth of Soul

_"Poof! Poof! POOF!" cackled the demon._

_"Rowen!" shouted Charei. She dove for him, but missed. "No!" He fell backwards, into the volcano. "How can you do this?! Fire Wing Soul!" She went after him when her armor was only half formed, but managed to catch him. "Hold on, Row."_

_"Pretty little Ronin senshi," tsked the demon when they got back to the top. Charei set Rowen down, then collapsed to her knees. "Pretty senshi, what's the matter? Did you're fitful armor take all your power? Or are you relieved that you managed to save your Ronin love? Well, little senshi, who will save you? POOF!" A blast of energy hit Charei hard. It knocked her back into the volcano, unconscious and unknowing..._ Rowen bolted up and looked around. 

_It... it was just a dream,_ he told himself. _She's alright... I hope._

***************

Charei stared at the ceiling, bored out of her mind, but not wanting to move for fear of waking the house. Everyone was asleep, it seemed. Houta, Tapae, Ryo, Rowen, Kento, Cye, Sage... but why? What had gone on? She rolled the Fire Wing Soul orb around in the bed, thinking hard. As a Descendent, she had a duty to protect the Ronins: It was in her blood. As a Soul Bearer, she had a duty to protect the world: That was in her blood too. If only things weren't so complicated...

The door opened softly. She looked up and saw Rowen.

"Did I wake you?" he asked softly. She shook her head. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" He didn't say anything, but grabbed her hand and pulled her from her room and to the balcony. Then he shut the double doors.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked. Charei grinned.

"I knew someone was gonna ask that," she said. "Alright, look, I don't know what happened in the throne room- I was only half there- but from what I gather, I'm here to make sure Ryo and his armor live through the destruction of Talpa."

"Yeah, I got that," he said. "I meant with orb. Why did it still hurt you, even after you had a piece of it with you?"

"It's the Fire Wing Soul orb," she said. "About the time of the Dynasty's first uprising, six wise ones created the Soul Bearer armors. Legend says they used the blood of six angels: Angel of Spirit, Angel of Courage, Angel of Compassion, Angel of Faith, Angel of Devotion, and Angel of Virtue. But the wise ones were killed before they could find the ones who could wear it and handle the power. One of my ancestors is a Descendent... the other one of the wise ones. All six have been passed down through my family as pieces of jewelry. When my grandmother gave the set to me, and told me the legend behind them, I vowed to find the other five, since the legend also foretold of Talpa's revival in the last generation. I am the only child in my entire family. My aunt and uncle have no children and my mother died awhile ago, so there can be no more."

"But what about you?" said Rowen. "You're part of the family. If you have kids..." She chuckled and shook her head.

"Trust me, Rowen. I won't live long enough to have children."

The End. 


	2. Default Chapter Title

Inside the Forbidden, pt 2: Bare to the Soul

Prologue- Truth of Soul

Charei stared at the ceiling, bored out of her mind, but not wanting to move for fear of waking the house. Everyone was asleep, it seemed. Houta, Tapae, Ryo, Rowen, Kento, Cye, Sage... but why? What had gone on? She rolled the Fire Wing Soul orb around in the bed, thinking hard. As a Descendent, she had a duty to protect the Ronins: It was in her blood. As a Soul Bearer, she had a duty to protect the world: That was in her blood too. If only things weren't so complicated...

The door opened softly. She looked up and saw Rowen.

"Did I wake you?" he asked softly. She shook her head. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" He didn't say anything, but grabbed her hand and pulled her from her room and to the balcony. Then he shut the double doors.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked. Charei grinned.

"I knew someone was gonna ask that," she said. "Alright, look, I don't know what happened in the throne room- I was only half there- but from what I gather, I'm here to make sure Ryo and his armor live through the destruction of Talpa."

"Yeah, I got that," he said. "I meant with orb. Why did it still hurt you, even after you had a piece of it with you?"

"It's the Fire Wing Soul orb," she said. "About the time of the Dynasty's first uprising, six wise ones created the Soul Bearer armors. Legend says they used the blood of six angels: Angel of Spirit, Angel of Courage, Angel of Compassion, Angel of Faith, Angel of Devotion, and Angel of Virtue. But the wise ones were killed before they could find the ones who could wear it. One of my ancestors is a Descendent... the other one of the wise ones. All six have been passed down through my family as pieces of jewelry. When my grandmother gave the set to me, and told me the legend behind them, I vowed to find the other five, since the legend also foretold of Talpa's revival in the last generation. I am the only child in my entire family. My aunt and uncle have no children and my mother died awhile ago, so there can be no more."

"But what about you?" said Rowen. "You're part of the family. If you have kids..." She chuckled and shook her head.

"Trust me, Rowen. I won't live long enough to have children."

Chapter 1 -Legend of Spirit

"Come on, Charei, I know you can do better then that!" yelled Sage. Charei's shoulders heaved as she tried to catch her breath. Training with Sage was tough: her Fire was strong against his Light, but his Light was just as strong against her Fire. "Force of Fire, hear my blight!" she shouted. The ground shook at the intensity of the power she drew into her body. "Flame Eruption!" Sage dodged the liquid fire that shot up from the earth.

"Thunderbolt CUT!" Charei took the full blast and just laid on the ground, her energy gone. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, pushing herself up. "Ow. Damn it, Sage." He rested his sword on his shoulders and shook his head.

"Don't blame me," he said. "You're the one that wanted to do this."

"I wasn't blaming you." Some of her fight had returned and she was grinning at him. "Okay, Okay, you're right. I asked you to do this. I wanted to see how strong your armor _really_ was."

"What are you talking about?" She walked over to her backpack silently and pulled out a red orb. It flashed in the sunlight and her eyes glittered. "What the-"

"Only Rowen knows what I'm about to show you," she said. "And I haven't even shown him the full extent of it. Yet. I can't use the full strength of the Fire Wing Soul because I don't have the other five. I will... I will. Ready?"

"I guess, but..." Charei raised the orb over her head and the sky darkened. 

"I call upon the savant of Spirit! Give me strength! Fire Wing Soul!" Flames shot from the sphere and Charei let it go. It fell slowly to her chest, but she didn't move. Pain twisted her face, but she kept going. The fire spread around her, forming a thin, but strong armor. Suddenly, she cried out in pain. Two wings burst from her back. The fire finally died. Charei's breath was labored and forced. "Son of a-"

"Charei?" asked Sage hesitantly. She lifted her head. A red headband set with black jewels was wrapped around her head and seemed to generate power. "What in the..."

"This is my power," she said, trying to control her breathing. "But it's not what Talpa was after the first time. He wanted the power of the Descendants. It was only after we had been captured that he found this."

"What are you?" he said. 

"Soul Bearer Fire Wing," she said. "It was formed from the blood of the Angel of Spirit, or so the legend says. I don't know how true it is. Wanna try again with the whole fight thing?"

"What? No way. You don't have enough strength."

"You'd be surprised."

"Alright, try this: You don't have a weapon." She looked at her hands, then turned as red as her armor. 

"I knew I was missing something. They must've been lost. Damn it. I don't want to find them again."

"Again?"

"When I was first able to use this, I didn't have a weapon. I had to find it. But the thing is, I had to go all the way to the grave of the wise ones to ask their phantoms to forge one. I can't do that again. It almost killed me last time from the process."

"What do you mean?"

"Those weapons are made with my flesh and blood, like the armor is made from the blood of the angels. And if I go now, it'll take at least a year for me to get back and I've still got my duty as a Descendent to fulfill." 

"A year? But..." Charei gasped and the armor glowed. It returned to the orb and she hit the ground. "Charei!"

"Ow... I need to work on that..."

"What happened?"

"It's hard to control if I'm not fighting. I'd forgotten that." He helped her up and she picked up the orb. "I need to work on my abilities and handling the power." His armor glowed and disappeared.

"Let's go back," he said. "I'm starving. And you could use a rest."

"I'm fine," she said stubbornly. "But I _am_ a little hungry. And I need to talk to Ryo."

***************

"If I told you the full truth, it wouldn't make any sense," said Charei. She leaned against the door and heard it click shut. "But if you have anything that you need to know, ask now. I can't promise I'll know it, but it'll be easier to understand."

"What did that voice mean? What was that voice anyway?"

"'That voice' was Jusai, my ancestor and the Descendent of Fire. What did she mean by what?"

"That you're here to help me and my armor."

"Oh, that. Yeah. She meant that in battle against the Dynasty, my power is mostly to be used to help you. Heal you, give you extra strength, all that. But Ryo..."

"Charei, I don't want you to do that. I can defeat the Dynasty on my own. Use your power for your fight, not mine." Confusion and surprise crossed her face, but she hid it well.

"Ryo, my duty is to make sure you don't die in battle-"

"But you've got another obligation, don't you?" She raised an eyebrow, then smiled and shook her head.

"Rowen or Sage?"

"Both. They told me because they're worried about you trying to protect me and using your other power at the same time. Sage told me what happened today." 

"What happened today was a result of weakness. I've got to find my swords and I can control it, no problem."

"Do you have any idea what happened to them?"

"All I can think of is the stress that went from me to them the whole time we were in the Dynasty severed the connection between the Fire Wing and the weapons. But they still exist. I can feel it."

"Charei! Ryo! Lunch!"

"We'll help you, if you need it," he said as they started to leave the room. "The Dynasty's after all of us and even if we've all got different missions, we need to stay together. No matter what." She nodded.

"I like it better if we fight together," she admitted. "It makes it easier to concentrate on the full goal instead of the smaller ones."

"Everything adds up," he said. "In the end, the smaller goals make the bigger one." They walked into the kitchen. Tapae instantly grabbed Ryo's hand and pulled him onto the balcony, shutting the doors behind her. Charei shook her head. 

"So what'd you make?" she asked. 

"It's pretty much whatever leftovers we have," said Cye. 

"We actually _have_ leftovers?" said Charei in mock astonishment. "I figured between Kento and Tapae, the refrigerator would be empty." Kento laughed, along with Houta, Cye, Sage, and Rowen. 

"There were some," said Cye. "And if you're still hungry, there's spaghetti and meatballs."

"Sounds good."

Chapter 2 -Introduction to Forever

"If you carry the four over to the three and add the seven to the previous four, then six to the three and divide by two and half..." Houta tapped her pencil impatiently on the blank notebook. Like any of this got through. Math was like the Dynasty: it had very little point, but at the same time, it existed, and seemed to exist solely to be a pain in the ass. 

"Houta," said a voice behind her as the teacher passed out the assignment. Tapae jabbed her between the shoulder blades. "Question: what's the deal with after school? I've heard we're doing a movie and dinner or we're renting movies and staying home all night."

"I don't know," she said. "I didn't hear any of that."

"Yeah. Charei and Sage were gonna surprise everyone with the movie/dinner combo but she's still wasted from when they went training the other day." Houta felt a twinge of jealousy. Charei was her friend... but she knew very well that Houta liked Sage. And yet, they spent a lot of time together. 

"I don't care," muttered Houta, turning back to her work. "Let them do whatever they want." Tapae made a small sound.

"Sorry. Forgot that was a touchy subject-"

"It's not a touchy subject," said Houta forcefully. "Just drop it."

"Alright. Whatever you say. Okay, second question: what did Di- what have you found out about... the other two?"

"She doesn't know much about them in this life, but they're names were Hilia and Nicho in the past. Air and Light."

"I'm just thinking... Kento said something about a girl when he first came. Maybe it was one of them."

"It could've been, but why don't they join us? It's make this whole crap simpler."

"Maybe they don't know what going on. That's possible, right?"

"But they brought Kento to _us_. That's a lotta irony if they don't know what the hell is going on."

"Miss Kaio, Miss Tenoh, work on your assignments please."

"Yes sir," said Houta. She looked at the page, her thoughts turning. _It doesn't make sense.... they had to've known about Kento... Charei and Sage... that red thing she had. What was it... bet Sage knows... where are the other two? They've just gotta be around here... Why haven't they helped us if they knew about Kento... My best friend, with the guy I like... it's so confusing... Charei and Kento...???_ She jerked, realizing she had been drawing during her train-of-thought-collision. It was a sketch of Dimsera, only she was wearing an armor with wings. _Wow. That's screwed._ She tore the page off and started to crumble it, then stopped. Quickly, she pulled the paper open. It wasn't Dimsera. It was herself, with Dimsera's mark! _I won't ask. This is all Charei's fault. She _had_ to like Sage._

BRRINNGG! Houta gathered her books and walked to her locker. She needed to forget all about Charei and Sage and focus on finding the last two Descendants. And then there was the Dynasty. It wasn't going to be easy finding a way to beat them.

"Hey Houta," came Sage's voice. "So are you coming after school?" She froze, her hand halfway to her science book. Then she shook her head slowly. "Really?"

"I... I've got stuff to do," she lied. "I'm falling behind in my schoolwork. I'll go some other time."

"Okay." And he was gone. Angrily, she grabbed the book and slammed the locker. Damn her emotions! Her loyalty to her friend got the better of her heart. She wanted to be with Sage and Charei had to come along... damn it!

"Class," said the teacher. "We're very honored to have two new students today. This is Kellei Eino and Linara Tuscinoh. They're both transfer students who will be joining us for the remainder of the year. I trust you'll treat them with proper respect. Kellei, why don't you have a seat next to Houta? And Linara, there's an open space over there." The two girls moved to their seat silently. Something about Kellei... they were definitely an intense pair. Linara had a look that said she trusted no one except her friend and Kellei trusted no one, even her friend. They both sat down and glanced at each other, then looked back at the front of the class.

Science dragged, despite the two new girls. Houta's mind kept wandering to other things. The drawing, for one. It had to mean something. Where had she seen that winged armor before? Suddenly the bell rang, breaking her thoughts when she had been close to discovering something. Muttering angrily, she grabbed her books and stalked to her locker. Damn. Things just kept getting worse.

"Alright, new girl, fork it over." She lifted her head. She knew that voice, and that phrase. Helleno, the school bully. 

"Excuse me?" came a soft, intense whisper. "What do I have that you want?"

"Money, babe. Whatever money you got, I want."

"I don't think I have enough to satisfy your greed." Wow. Linara was pressing buttons. And loving it too. "I'm sorry. I must get to my next class." She turned to go in the other direction, but he hit her hard from behind. Half a second later, Kellei was standing over her, in a fighting position.

"Don't pick on her," she said coldly. "If she doesn't want to give you her money, she doesn't have too, got it?"

"Oh, I'm afraid," scoffed Helleno. "One weakling and the weakling's cousin."

"Helleno, don't you have a psychiatric appointment or something?" spoke up Houta. "Maybe a flea dip? You could use one..."

"Stay out of this, Kaio. It doesn't concern you," said Kellei.

"It concerns me," said Houta. "Because it's injustice. Helleno, I know you've got better things to do whether then waste your energy here. You're just gonna get your ass kicked."

"By who? You? Ha!" He grabbed a kid's backpack and threw it, the kid still connected to it. Houta leapt back, caught the kid's arm and send the backpack off towards where it had come from. Helleno barely managed to avoid it. "What the-"

"I told you. Don't waste your breath." She dropped the kid and picked up her bag. "I've got a life outside of stopping your insanity." The bell rang, ending it before it could go further. Helleno grumbled something, then went on to his next class. Kellei helped Linara up and glared at Houta. "Look. I shouldn't have gotten in on the whole thing. It was your fight to begin with. But Helleno needs to know that he'll never get through me. It's got nothing to do with you."

"Personal vendettas can sometimes be exactly what's needed," said Linara. "Don't feel bad. We owe you a debt of gratitude. Don't we, Kellei?"

"Let's go," said Kellei darkly. "I don't want to be late." She disappeared into the crowd of people. Linara shook her head.

"Don't mind her. Maybe we'll see you sometime later, Houta. Bye!" 

_Something seriously bothers me about those two,_ thought Houta, heading towards the east exit. _Huh. I didn't even tell them my name and they knew it. Weird_

***************

"Where's Houta?" wondered Charei as they walked through the mall. "You asked her, right Sage?"

"She said she had some work to do," he answered. She frowned.

"That's a load of bull if I've ever heard," she said. "Houta doesn't fall behind... maybe it's just this Dynasty thing. I'm sure she'll be normal in a few days."

"Charei," said Rowen. "You're talking to yourself again."

"I am?" she asked. "Hmm. I guess so. Maybe I should stop." Everyone laughed. "So what are we gonna do?"

"The movie doesn't start for another hour. Let's split up and find some stuff to do," suggested Tapae. "I'm assuming the guys don't want to shop like me and Charei."

"I'm assuming we probably couldn't keep up with you two, Tape," said Ryo. She shot him a look. He had taken to using 'Tape' as a pet name for her and it drove her nuts, but she let him do it because, well, because he was Ryo. 

"Ha ha, very funny," she said. "But you're right. You're all probably too slow."

"You two and shopping?" asked Kento. "Yeah. I'll say we're gonna slow you down. Why don't we meet outside the theater in forty-five minutes?"

"Works for me," said Tapae. She grabbed Charei's wrist. "Come on!"

"Heaven help me," murmured Charei. At Tapae's look, she added: "Kidding. Kidding. But I wish Houta was here. Maybe I'll call her and see if she can tear herself away from whatever pressing business is keeping her away. See ya' later!" Tapae dragged her to the other side of the mall, past half the shops she had been hoping to visit. "Is there a reason for this?"

"I wanted to show you the dress I saw yesterday. You've gotta tell me if you... if you think Ryo'll like it."

"Ryo? What? When did this happen?"

"Uh... Sunday, at lunch?" she said. 

"Yeah? And what about 'Single and happy'?"

"When did I say that?" she inquired innocently. "See. It's right here." She pulled a short orange dress off the rack and held in front of her in the mirror. "See? I like it."

"As long as your eyes don't go orange again," said Charei. She took down a slightly longer, deep red dress. "Do you think Rowen would like this?"

"Of course he would," said Tapae, still admiring her reflection. "You know, you might want to have a talk with Houta soon. I know why she's not here tonight."

"Why?"

"She likes Sage, but thinks you and he..." Charei burst out laughing.

"Are you sane?" Tapae glared at her.

"'Course not. But I'm serious. She's jealous, won't admit that she's jealous, and it's either gonna drive her nuts or kill your friendship, neither of which I wanna see happen to my two best friends."

"Hmm. I'll talk to her," said Charei. "I think it's ridiculous, but I'll talk to her if it'll mean that much to you, Tapae."

"Okay. Thanks." She stopped admiring the dress and took a step back. "I'm gonna go try this on. Stay here and watch our stuff." Charei nodded and looked through the rest of the rack before deciding she liked the red version of Tapae's dress, only with a fringe of beads at the bottom.

"Hey." She jumped and turned around, then grinned. It was only Rowen.

"Hi," she said. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her warmly. Charei wasn't used to him being this... assertive. "Rowen?"

"Come on," he said. "Let's go get something to eat."

"Eat? But we're going out for dinner after the movie, remember?"

"Yeah, of course, but can't we get a quick bite now?"

"Rowen," she said firmly, pulling back. "Don't be an idiot. And I'm not even hungry so... just go away. I'm serious. Go away." He opened his mouth to say something, then frowned angrily and walked off. _Weird..._ she thought, walked over to a sales desk. _He's not usually like that. I wonder if he thinks I'm with Sage too? No. I know he's got more brains then that._ She paid the woman behind the counter and quickly made her way back to the dressing rooms, where Tapae was looking at the full effect of the dress(and loving it too). "It looks great, Tapae."

"I wonder if I can wear it out," she said thoughtfully. "Ryo would like this a lot. I think. What'd you get, Charei?"

"Just a dress to wear later. Hey, Tapae. Has Rowen seemed... strange to you lately?"

"Strange? Compared to what? He's a Ronin, Charei. Maybe he's got the Dynasty on the brain."

"The Dynasty... yeah, you're probably right. I should stop worrying about. Will you hurry up? I've got some other things I want to look at before we meet the guys."

"Alright. Just give me a minute."

************ ***

Rowen took a drink of his pop and looked through the pages of the book he had just bought. 

"There they are," said Ryo. "At least I think that's Tapae and Charei." Rowen looked up. He recognized Charei's deep blue ponytail and smile, but it didn't look like her other then that. She had on a red dress that had a short beaded fringe at the bottom and was absolutely gorgeous in it. "Tapae?" asked Ryo when the girls reached them. 

"Yes?" she said, grinning. Kento gave a whistle.

"Wow. You girls look great," he said. "How about you two going with me to the movie?" Tapae glanced at Ryo, who was quiet, then nodded.

"Alright, we'll go with you," she said. Ryo and Rowen finally snapped out of their stunned trances as they were walking into the theater, Kento with a girl on each arm.

"What did we miss?" asked Ryo in confusion.

"A lot," said Sage. "While you two were gawking, Kento scored two dates to the movie and with your girls too. You might want to try a different approach next time." Cye just laughed.

Chapter 3 -Disappearance of Water

"Houta! We're back!" said Charei as she walked in the door. She hit the light switch, only to find it didn't want to work. "Damn it. Tapae, wasn't it your turn to change the lightbulbs in the kitchen?"

"Tapae's still in the front yard with Ryo," said Sage. "Where's Houta?"

"Not a clue. Houta?!" No answer. "That's no good. Oh, wait. Tapae did change the bulbs. This morning. I remember because she almost broke her neck standing on the chair. So it must be the fuse box. Be right back." She went back outside and around the side of the house. To her surprise, the wires had been cut. "Uh oh. Guys?!"

"What, Charei?!" yelled Ryo. 

"Something's wrong here!" She reconnected the wire and the lights inside the house came on. Sage gave a shout. 

Back inside, they all stood and stared at the markings on the wall. Tapae recognized the symbol of water and a few other words, but that was it.

"I knew it," said Charei. "'Water has been taken. In return for her, I require the six souls. All of them brought to me before sunrise on rain's naming day or she will die'. Damn it!"

"What does it mean?" asked Sage. "The six souls... the Soul Bearer armors?"

"Soul Bearer?" asked Cye. "What's that?"

"I don't have a choice. I have to turn them over," she said. "It's not worth Houta's life, even them."

"But Charei-" started Rowen.

"Don't 'but Charei' me, Rowen. I'm still mad at you. And I've got to do it before Sunday."

"Why are you mad at me?"

"What happens on Sunday?" added Ryo.

"Sunday is Houta's birthday, her naming day. Sunrise is at seven that day. But the thing is, where does he/it/she want them brought to?"

"You're honestly gonna give those up," said Sage. "Are you nuts?"

"It's Houta! You're the last person I would expect that from, Sage Date! She's my best friend and I'm not letting her down." Charei's eyes flashed green. "I'm still gonna look for her, starting now." She walked out onto the balcony and climbed up on the railing. 

"Charei, you're not gonna..." said Sage hesitantly

"Watch me. I call upon the savant of Spirit! Fire Wing Soul!" The fire erupted from her chest, but she didn't take any notice of the pain. She would find Houta, no matter what. 

"Charei! Wait!" said Rowen. She looked back, the green fire focusing its intensity on him. "If you're gonna go, at least be careful, okay?"

"I've said it before, Rowen. I don't need anyone watching over me." She jumped off the edge and the wings caught on the air.

"She's nuts," said Sage. "She's gonna be seen."

"No, she won't," said Tapae, walking back into the house. Her mind was racing. Where had that come from, that armor? Why wasn't she worried about Charei?

Chapter 4 -Earning Wings

Charei clutched the box in her hands and swallowed tears. All of the work and pain she had gone through was going to be useless. It had been for nothing. At least the knowledge of the fact she wouldn't live through this encounter kept her going. 

"This is stupid," said Sage. "I can't believe you're actually going through with this."

"I don't have a choice," she snapped. "I can't risk losing Houta." She knelt on the ground and set the box down. Six small orbs glittered in the moon light as Charei added her own orb to them and closed the lid carefully. "I won't let her die because of my pride."

"And you didn't see anything?" he asked. She shook her head. 

"I went over the entire area and I even talked to Jusai. She said Dimsera hasn't spoken with Houta in days. I'm worried about her, even if it _is_ Houta.

"You should be afraid," cackled a voice. "I'm here on behalf of Master Talpa to get the six Soul armors. In return, I'll give you Houta, the Descendent of Water."

"I don't trust the word of evil. Give us Houta first, then you'll get the armors," said Sage firmly. The demonic-looking creature sighed in frustration.

"Delays, delays. Fine. Here she is." There was a flash of light and then Houta...

"Oh god," said Charei. "You lying son of a bitch! You said we'd get her back!"

"I didn't say alive, now did I? But stop fretting, pretty one. She's alive. Barely, but she's alive. I know how much her life means to you, despite how miserable and pointless."

"What do you mean?" asked Sage coldly. He walked over to Houta's limp and bleeding form. "Houta, Houta can you hear me?" No answer. "_Houta_!"

"Damn you!" said Charei. "Deal's off! You went too fa- AHHH!" He dove at her and hit her hard. The box flew from her hand and broke apart on the ground, scattering the orbs all over. "No!"

"Damn!" said Sage. He picked up Houta and leapt back from the demon's attack towards him. "Stop it! Charei, are you alright?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but I lost the orbs!" She dove to the ground at the red glow and picked it up. "Wait! I found mine!"

"Don't use it!" said Sage. "You'll kill yourself!"

"Screw this!" she shouted. "Force of Fire, hear my blight! Release the power!" She took in as much as she dared. "Fireball!" A red light formed in her hand and she shot it at the demon. He avoided it easily. "He's too fast!" Sage laid Houta on the ground at the edge of what was now a battle field. He didn't notice the small shimmer in the grass near her.

"Armor of Halo! Dao Chi!"

"I'm still too fast, even with Ronin armor," taunted the demon in a sing song voice. "Still too fast, still too fast-"

"Arrow Shock Wave!" The demon jumped back. "Charei! Sage!"

"Rowen!" said Sage. "How did you..."

"I sensed Fire," said Tapae's voice. She walked into the clearing, a glow surrounding her. Something orange twinkled in the grass. Charei looked from Tapae, to the light, then back. 

_It's not possible... we were under Houta's nose the entire time she was searching for the Descendants... could it be..._ The demon had seen the glow too. He made a beeline to it. "Tapae! Call on the full power!"

"I can't-"

"Do it!"

"I call on the full power of Earth!" Just as he reached it, the light exploded. He yelled in pain and pulled back. The Fire Wing Soul orb glowed brightly, as did the other four. Energy flowed into Houta's body and she opened her eyes slowly. What was going on? Where was she? The last thing she remembered was the lights at Tapae's house going out... now she was on the edge of a battlefield and a blue light was shining near her. She reached out her hand and picked it up carefully. Intense power flowed into her, more then even she had taken from the Descendants.

"You think you can defeat me?!" shouted the demon. "I am immortal! Nothing can beat me!"

"I call upon the full force of Air!"

"I call upon the full force of Light!" Two other orbs glowed, then shot off the ground and were caught by shadowy figures. "The Dynasty will not triumph, no matter what happens. You'd be smart to remember that, lackie. Lightening Strike!"

"Wind Divine!" When the dust and light cleared, they were gone, as well as the demon.

"Damn it!" shouted Charei. She ran towards where they had been. "I can't lose those!" Her foot caught on the sixth orb and she fell forward, but shifted her weight and landed on her hands. "Son of a-!"

"Charei, calm down," said Ryo. "I think you had better explain what's going on. Why did you go off on your own?"

"I didn't... want to endanger you. Any of you. And then Sage followed me because he wanted to save Houta. I would've stopped him, but... damn it!" She slammed her fist into the ground. "How could I lose those?!"

"What were they?" asked Cye.

"Air Wind Soul and Light Illume Soul," she said. "Two of the Soul Bearer armors. How could this happen?"

"They... they used the Descendant power," muttered Houta. She pushed herself off the ground and looked at the orb in her hand. "To get to these. They must be the last two."

"Houta, are you okay?" asked Sage. He knelt down by her and she nodded her head.

"I'm fine," she said. Charei ran over to her and fell to her knees.

"Houta! I'm so sorry. This was my fault. If I... if I had just talked to you... can you forgive me?" Houta kept her eyes on the orb. It shone blue for a moment, then died to clear.

"Charei, I wouldn't have listened to you. I was too jealous to think clearly. I'm sorry. Here. You'll want this back." Charei, who had been so intent on the other four that she could see, now saw what her friend held. She held hers near it and there was a flash of quick light. 

"No," she said, slipping it back into her pocket. "It's yours. Keep it."

"Mine? What?!" asked Houta. Sage caught her shoulders before she could fall forward in shock. "Un. Real. What about Tapae?"

"Yeah. That's hers too. I can't believe how stupid I am." She laid on the ground and sighed in frustration. "Three down, two gone, and one left."

"One?" asked Ryo. 

"Inferno Blade Soul," she said. "The last one..." Her voice died away. "That demon... do you think it got away?"

"Probably not," said Rowen. "Those two hit it pretty hard. I doubt it's alive."

"I hope so," said Tapae. "My head hurts again."

"You should lay off thinking," said Houta jokingly. Tapae frowned, then laughed.

"Funny, Houta. At least we know you're alright. You still have a warped logic."

"Warped logic?"

"Warped logic." 

Chapter 5 - Complicated Understanding

"If I had known it was you, I would've given you the things instead of keeping them. I can only use Fire Wing. I can't use Ice Amend or Earth Absolute. Or the other three for that matter." The rain beat on the roof of the barn and soaked into the ground outside the door. As it was, Tapae was lying in the straw, soaking wet and shivering, but still curious. Houta was sitting halfway up the ladder to the loft, chewing on a piece of hay and wringing water out of her hair.

"What I don't get is the irony," she said to Charei, who was balanced on the edge of a stall, carefully taking steps back and forth along the wood. "Or the fact that Tapae has a barn."

"I've _had_ a barn," said Tapae sleepily. "Since we moved in. It's just so far from the house. I never thought my dad kept it clean." She kicked at the bottom of the straw heap. "Or kept fresh hay in here."

"It's great for burning," said Charei. "Maybe he thought it would catch fire one of these days." Tapae laughed. 

"Maybe. Okay, so 'nother question: what irony? Charei said that she's part Descendent, part wise one. Maybe it's just one of those things." 

"Like how all of us can like a Ronin Warrior?" said Houta, climbing the rest of the way up and sitting in the loft calmly. 

"Speak for yourselves," said Charei with a dark chuckle. "I do _not_ like any Ronin... well, not like that, anyway." Tapae bolted in surprise.

"What happened to 'Do you think Rowen will like it'?" she asked. Charei reddened.

"That... was nothing. Just... drop it."

"Uh-uh," said Houta. "No way. You like him still. Otherwise you wouldn't have reacted like that. I'm not stupid. Whatever dumb argument you had, forget it. He misses you, it's obvious."

"He does?" Charei asked hesitantly. Then she shook her head quickly. "No way. It's over. Not that it was ever there." Houta sighed.

"I think you're lying to yourself," she said after a moment. "And trust me, that nevers amounts to anything good."

"Just promise you'll talk to him," added Tapae.

"What is it with you and talking?" asked Charei. She took a jumped step forward on the stall edge and rebalanced her weight. "You think everything can be solved by talking."

"It doesn't hurt," said Tapae, reverting to her half awakeness. "Man, this is nice. I could... fall asleep..."

"Tapae, you could fall asleep in the middle of a hurricane," said Houta. Then she yawned. "But you're right. This is nice..." Charei shook her head again. There wasn't any brains among them. Falling asleep at a time like this... really. She turned on her heel and leapt up to loft window over the door. The best thing they could do was wait the storm out, but that didn't mean they could let their guard down. 

"Ryo..." murmured Tapae in her sleep. "Don't call me Tape..." Charei smiled warmly at her friend.

"Force of Fire," she whispered. "Please. If I have a connection with Ryo, let him know we're okay and we'll be back as soon as we can." She leaned against the frame and closed her eyes. _I won't let anything happen to them. I am Fire Wing. My duty is to them, to protect them from what they don't know about. I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Houta, Tapae. The last thing I wanted to do was bring you in on this._

***************_We're okay. We'll be back soon._ Ryo jerked and looked around. It sounded like Charei... 

"I wonder where they are," said Rowen, looking out the window. "I hope they're not caught in this storm." Ryo smiled gently and settled back on the couch with his book.

"They're fine," he said. Rowen looked at him, confused. "Trust me." 

"If you say so..." He leaned on his elbows and looked out the window. "But where are they?"

"Outside in the storm," said Sage, coming into the living room. "Houta went to the lake and Charei and Tapae followed to get her for lunch. Then the rain came up. But they're okay. All else fails, they've got the Descendent of Water with them." Kento and Cye came in behind him, Kento with a ham and cheese sandwich. "Kento, how much more can you eat?"

"It's not my fault I'm hungry," Kento shot back. He sat down on the edge of the couch and balanced the plate on his leg. "I still wanna know about those other two that showed up the other night. Who were they?"

"I don't know, but they knew what they were doing obviously. They got the Air Wind and Light Illume, didn't they?" said Cye. "We could have a problem if they're part of the Dynasty."

"I doubt that," said Rowen. "I'll bet anything they were the ones that left Kento here."

"Then we should find them so I can thank them," said Kento, swallowing some sandwich. "In person."

"Where are they?" repeated Rowen.

"Chill, buddy," said Kento. "It's Charei, Houta, and Tapae. If anyone can take care of them, it's them." He took another bite of his sandwich. "They're fine." 

Chapter 6 -First Time for Everything

"Okay. This is the kitchen. You'll usually find- yup. Hey Kento." Kento grinned at Houta, knowing exactly what she had been about to say. "Kento, this is Linara. Linara, meet Kento, the resident food addict."

"Hey," said Kento. 

"Hello," said Linara politely. "It's nice to meet you, Kento."

"Same here. Hey Houta, Ryo and the others aren't back yet, but I think it's your turn to make dinner tonight." Houta dropped her head into her hands.

"Thanks for the warning, Kento. Alright, alright, I got it covered. Linara, I'm sorry-"

"It's okay," she said. "Do you want some help?"

"Sure!" said Houta. "Okay, Kento, go occupy yourself or we won't have anything to feed the others and you know it." He laughed.

"Oh, come on, Houta-"

"It's okay, Houta," said Linara. "My brother was the same way. I know exactly what to do. It's better if he helps instead of not having anything to do."

"So what do you want me to do?" asked Kento. Linara opened up the refrigerator and pulled out some carrots.

"You..." she said thoughtfully. "Can do these. Peel them and cut them into cubes."

"Linara, what do you have in mind?" asked Houta.

"How about fried rice with shrimp?" suggested the other girl. 

"My fav," said Kento. He reached for a knife. She smiled.

"It was my brother's favorite too. It was one of the first things I taught him how to make. He was a quick learner. I had always had fun..." She shook her head. "But that's all done. My parents split and we got separated. I haven't seen him in a couple of years."

"Sorry," said Houta. "Sounds bad. So what do I do?"

"Start the rice. I'll get the shrimp." They all worked together, talking and laughing. Finally, there was the sound of the garage opening.

"We're back!" came Cye's voice. Linara jerked and looked at her watch.

"Damn it!" she said. "I gotta go. I'm sorry I can't stay, but my mom's working late tonight and I've got dinner there to make. It was nice meeting you, Kento!"

"Bye, Linara!" said Kento as she ran out the other door. "That was sudden."

"Yeah, it was," said Houta, frowning. The others came into the kitchen. "Hey. About time you showed up."

"Wow. Smells good," said Sage. "You _and_ Kento made dinner? And there's enough for all of us?"

"Yeah," said Houta. "My friend Linara was here, but she left before we could eat. Everyone sit down. 'Cept you, Sage. You're turn to set the table."

"Fine, _mother_, I'll get right on that." She gave him an exasparated look, but he just smiled. 

***************

"What makes you think I'm angry at you?" Charei turned away from Rowen and faced the rising sun. "Because I'm not. I'm past angry."

"What'd I do?" he asked, trying to get her to look at him. "Come on, Charei. This is juvenile. What's wrong?"

"Juvenile?" she asked with a laugh. "No. There's nothing juvenile about this. If you don't know why I'm mad at you, then I've got nothing to talk to you about."

"Why won't you give me a straight answer?!" She turned on him.

"You don't have any reason to be yelling at me!" she said angrily. "You're such an idiot, Rowen. Get a clue. It's over." She disappeared into the trees. His thoughts collided with one another at first, but then something got through: the last time she had been alone, she had been kidnapped by the Dynasty and almost died. He wasn't going to let that happen again.

"Charei! Wait!" He caught up to her in the middle of a cherry orchard. Spring was almost over and blossom petals littered the ground, but many were still on the trees "Charei, please, don't go off on your own. You're gonna get hurt if the Dynasty catches you again."

"How many times do I have to tell you?" she said softly. "I can take care of myself." He caught her arm and made her face him. "Rowen..."

"I don't know what the hell is going on," he said fiercely. "But if you won't tell me what's going on, then I don't have any reason to care." She looked at him, her blue eyes darkening to a deep brown. They only did that if she was sad or unhappy. 

"Rowen..." she trailed off. "Rowen, don't you remember at all? What happened the other day before the movie, at the department store?"

"Department store?" he said. "I was never at the department store."

"But... you were there... I think..."

_The Dynasty... maybe you're right..._ She slapped her forehead. 

"I'm incredibly stupid. Why didn't I see it before? Rowen... I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry. I really screwed up this time." His eyes softened and he still held her arm.

"Charei, next time, talk to me, okay? I was afraid... I don't want to lose you. You're not like anyone I've ever met..." She pulled her arm away and looked at him intensely. Her eyes were blue again, but they were deeper then ever before. 

"Rowen," she said quietly. "What are you getting at?" He took her hand in his.

"Charei... can I ask you a question?" She was too lost to answer. Every part of her was shivering in terror and happiness. It was so... confusing. This feeling that shocked her body into over drive. "Is it a problem... if I think I love you?" She closed her eyes and smiled gently.

"We're both in trouble then," she said. "I think I love you too..." He kissed her warmly. Charei's soul threatened to just take over and leave her mind in the dust. _Will nothing ever make sense?!_ she thought. _How can I do this to him? I'm not gonna be around... to be with him. I've already said that to him... doesn't he get it?!_

_Love's blind..._ whispered a voice in the back of her head. _And deaf as well. It doesn't have boundries and if death gets in the way, it'll just have to wait before it can separate two people who truly care for each other._ Her mother's words, from the day she... 

"How can human's be like this?" sneered a voice. Rowen and Charei broke apart, but he didn't let her go. Instead, his grip on her shoulders tightened. "Together like that... disgusting."

"It didn't die," said Rowen. "The demon is still alive."

'It's after me," said Charei. "Not you."

"I won't leave you to this thing. It's part of the Dynasty and we both fight the Dynasty. Together." She hesitated, then nodded.

"Together." The demon giggled wickedly.

"So cute, they are, and so sickening at the same time. I will end that." A cold wind blew up, sending the flower petals into a storm around them. When that cleared, they were on top of a volcano. Dark smoke billowed from the mouth, blackening out the sky above them. "Hmm. How to get rid of you? So many ways, so many ways-"

"Why don't you just shut up and show yourself?" said Charei. "I'm tired of these games."

"Games? I'm not playing any games, pretty senshi. Yes, that's what you are. The pretty little Ronin senshi of Fire. And then there's the Ronin of Strata. If the pretty little senshi is going to join the Dynasty's side, you'll have to be eliminated, so...Poof! Poof! POOF!" cackled the demon. Energy slammed into his chest

"Rowen!" shouted Charei. She dove for him, but missed. "No!" He fell backwards, into the volcano. "How can you do this?! Fire Wing Soul!" She went after him when her armor was only half formed, but managed to catch him. "Hold on, Row."

"Pretty little Ronin senshi," tsked the demon when they got back to the top. Charei set Rowen down, then collapsed to her knees. "Pretty senshi, what's the matter? Did you're fitful armor take all your power? Or are you relieved that you managed to save your Ronin love? Well, little senshi, who will save you? POOF!" A blast of power hit Charei hard. It knocked her back into the volcano, unconscious and unknowing.

_"There is a legend in our family. These six orbs have been passed down among us for many, many generations. There is one for each part of a human essence. Spirit, Courage, Compassion, Faith, Devotion, and Virtue. All of them draw their power from the elements of this planet - Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Light and the life of all creatures is the Soul of Virtue. It is said that when there is the birth of only one child, then the darkness will threaten to take over again. Charei, you are the only grandchild I have. It is your destiny to use these and destroy the Dynasty."_ Charei opened her eyes slowly and looked around. She had survived the fall into the volcano and her armor was protecting her from its deadly heat. _It is your destiny..._

"My destiny," she muttered. "First, it was to destroy the Dynasty with the Fire Wing. Then it was to help Ryo and the Wildfire armor destroy the Dynasty. Now I've got two paths and they're colliding to destroy _me_." The lava bubbled at her feet. _If only I had my swords. That demon wouldn't stand a chance._

_These swords are connected to you, Charei Teno. You will be able to use them with your Fire Wing and only with the Fire Wing. They can never fall into the hands of evil as long as you stay true to the race of humans._ Charei sat on the ground. The right wing of her armor was broken, probably from the fall. She would have to send the whole away so it would be able to reform itself but if she sent it away, then she'd die. The lava bubbled again, only now, a light came out with the air. She recognized it at once. _My swords! Here? How? Who cares?_ She reached out her hand to the hot, molten rock. _That demon's gonna be toasted._

The End


	3. Default Chapter Title

Inside the Forbidden, pt. 3: Arrival of Fate

Prologue- Kellei and Linara

"I think you're getting too close to them."

"But they're nice kids. And it gives me a chance to help them without letting them know."

"If they find out..."

"They won't find out. Look, he disappeared ten years ago, just after my parents divorced. The fact that his best friend is here now can only mean what we thought before."

"What we thought before has all changed. We didn't know about the Soul Bearer armors and that... that girl had them this entire time."

"Kell, she didn't know about the connection. None of them did until Shisama attacked them. You saw the surprise on her face."

"I know. They're too uninformed. We'd be better off not joining them and doing this on our own."

"Oh, don't say that. It's a chance to be with friends when we haven't for so long. We've been changing schools, trying to find them, and we haven't had a chance to make any real friends."

"No one can have real friends if the Dynasty's involved."

"Kellei... I still don't like the fact that we've got the Soul armors and can't use them. If all six join together with the power of the Decsendents and Ronins, we can obliterate the Dynasty, once and for all."

"They still haven't found the sixth one yet. Just wait, Lina. We've still got time." A cold wind blew in through the window, even though it was smack in the middle of a summer-ish heat wave.

"The wind's bringing darkness with it, Kell. Shisama is only using the Dynasty. He'll bring the death of the mortal realm with him, whether or not we win."

"If the world's gonna end, Lina, then let it end with us. Not those... children."

Chapter 1- The Tire Swing

"Kento, you were supposed to catch the rope!"

"I did!"

"So why is it on the ground?!"

"Because I dropped it?!"

"Of for the love of... throw it back up here!"

"Okay." Houta caught the rope and slid one end through the pulley. 

"Catch it this time," she said to Kento, letting it go. He did and she leapt to the ground. "Okay. That's the last part. It's all set now."

"So... what is it?" She looked at him and grinned.

"It's a tire swing for Tapae," she answered. "She's been dropping hints about this for awhile."

"Hints? Like how?"

"'I want a tire swing' mostly." He laughed. "So now she'll be able to keep herself busy, instead of bugging the rest of us."

"I don't think she bugs us," said Kento. "She's just... energetic."

"You're right. She's got energy to spare. But she needs to put it to better use." Houta sat on top of the tire and leaned against the rope. "Kento, what do you think's wrong with Linara? She's been avoiding me all week."

"I dunno. Maybe she doesn't like you anymore." Houta looked at him and he grinned sheepishly. "Not that anyone can _not_ like you, Houta."

"Funny, Hardrock," she said. "But I'm serious. I don't trust that Kellei. She's... evil-ish."

"Evil... ish?"

"Yeah. There's something about her that's not right, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Don't go jumping to conclusions. Maybe she's just an intense person."

"You're probably right," she said, getting down to the ground. "Let's get back to the house. Can't keep the others waiting."

"Is it lunch time?" asked Kento. "Wow. I didn't even notice." She smiled.

"That's why I brought you out here," she said. "I thought I'd try Linara's technique. It worked, didn't it?"

"Yeah, it did," he laughed. "Okay, let's go."

***************

"Ryo, will you wait up!" yelled Tapae. He stopped and looked at her, grinning. "What's your rush?"

"Nothing, Tape," he said. She put her hands on her hips, quite a feat carrying a picnic basket.

"Stop calling me that," she said. "Be nice."

"Oh, come on, Tap- Tapae. It's not that bad is it?" She tilted her head and wrinkled her nose.

"No, I guess not. It's just annoying."

"Okay, Tape." She rolled her eyes. "So where are we going?"

"Come on. I figured we'd have a picnic today, since it's so nice outside and I'm sick of eating in. Cye made some sandwiches and Charei made enough lemonade to last the entire house _about_ a month, so I brought some of that too."

"Where. Are. We. Going?" She grinned.

"A little impatient, are we?" she asked. "It's... a surprise!" She laughed at the frustrated look he gave her. 

"Oh, come on, Ryo. You're no fun."

"No fun?" She nodded matter of factly. 

"Yeah. You're always so tense. Now just relax. Forget about the Dynasty, forget about that demon thing that keeps coming back insesently- no matter what we do-, and focus on loosening up. The Dynasty's not here and if they show up, we'll kick their asses." She sounded so sure, he had to smile.

"Okay, okay, surprise me," he said. The way she smiled back at him... he would do almost anything to keep her that happy. 

"Close your eyes," she said. He raised an eyebrow. "_Ryo_."

"Alright, alright." He closed his eyes and she seized his hand in hers. "I swear, Tape, if I walk into a tree..."

"You're full deserving of an 'accident' like that," she said. "For calling me Tape."

"You said I could."

"I know, but still... okay, open your eyes." He did and saw the sunlight filtering through the cherry trees. Pink blossoms still half covered the ground, scattered among the summer wildflowers. He bent down and picked one, then gave it to her. She smelled it, then waved it in his face. "If you think this'll make up for that 'Tape' crap... you're wrong." He smiled gently and shook his head.

"I didn't really think it would," he said. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her softly. "Will that?" Tapae's green eyes flashed with confusion and shock, then she grinned.

"Maybe." Then she kissed him firmly. "Maybe."

Chapter 2- Vacation to Mount Destiny

"Ready?" asked Sage. Houta zipped up her suitcase and nodded. There was the sound of Charei's motorcycle from the garage, then Tapae yelling.

"You aren't taking that thing to the mountain!" she shouted. Charei cocked her head.

"What?!" she said. "I can't hear you! See you guys up there!" She turned and raced out of the garage. Tapae cursed.

"You might as well give up," said Houta, lifting her luggage into the back of her car. "So... who's riding with who?"

"I can take four," said Tapae. "Especially with this luggage."

"Three," said Houta. "And luggage will have to go into your car 'cause I've got no trunk space." She grinned sheepishly. "It wasn't an option when I got the car."

"You're pathetic," said Tapae with a sigh. "So let's go."

************

"Seven hours," said Ryo, climbing out of the SUV. "Seven hours in a car with Tape."

"Excuse me?" asked Tapae, yanking his suitcase out of the trunk and throwing it to him. "Ryo, be nice. Here Kento."

"Thanks Tapae," said Kento. "So explain to me why we're here again?" Charei got off her motorcycle and looked at the gray sky. 

"Houta and Tapae are going to the ancient village on the summit. The rest of us are staying here for some R'n'R."

"Why are they..." started Sage. "Wait a minute. Charei, they're not-" She made a killing motion with her hand, then nodded.

"Yes they are and you can't stop them."

"Wow," muttered Houta. "I feel like I'm part of this conversation. I still don't understand why you guys get to hang out at the resort while Tapae and I are trudging up the mountain."

"Houta, there's plenty you'll understand... at the top," said Charei. "Okay, everybody, let's check into the resort."

"Are you sure about sending them... there?" asked Sage as they headed up the stairs to the main building. "You said it wasn't a fun experience for you-"

"And it won't be for them," she interrupted. "But if we're gonna win this, they've got to do it."

"We've got a reservation for eight," Tapae told the woman behind the counter. "Under Keno."

"Yes, Miss Keno. Building thirteen, at the edge of the grounds, like you requested."

"Thank you. You heard the woman. Let's move!"

"For someone who's about to be tortured, she's sure ecstatic," said Sage. Charei made the kill sign again and elbowed him in the ribs.

"They don't know," she hissed. "Don't be an idiot. I wasn't even supposed to tell you."

"Oh. Gotcha." She sighed and rolled her eyes. 

_This is nuts. Why am I letting them do this? Do I want them to go through what I did for the Fire Wing katanas?_ A cold shiver went up her spine and she rubbed the goosebumps on her arm. God... those memories were a living nightmare. She had been so clueless, thinking it would be an easy journey to get the perfect weapon.

"Are you alright?" asked Rowen softly. He put his arm around her shoulders and she forced a smile.

"I'm fine," she lied. "Just fine. Let's get to the cabin." He nodded, but at the same time, knew that something was wrong with her and she wasn't going to admit to anyone, even him. 

_Whatever's on your mind,_ he thought, watching her chase after Tapae who had tossed a well aimed snowball directly into her head. _Tell someone. Before it takes over your mind._

***************

"The storm's picking up," said Sage. Charei barely looked up from her book.

"Yeah, it does that," she muttered. "It's the wise one of Water acting with the wise one of Wind. It's a test. After the storm comes that wall of rock that doesn't want to stay in one place, but they'll be lucky if they make it to there before the black lightening." She looked up, lost in thought. "And then there's the landslide slash avalanche-"

"I get the idea," he said, sitting down at the end of the couch. She moved around and crossed her legs, her book forgotten.

"Oh, come on Sage. Do you really think I'd let them go if I didn't they could make it?" She gave him a look that said 'if-you-say-yes-I'll-slap-you', so he shook his head. "Good for you. I knew you had more faith in me. Okay. If you need me, I'll be in the hot tub." She walked off to find her bathingsuit in the mass of clothing on her bed. _If it helps matters, I'm worried too. It's too strong to be just for them._ An idea flashed across her mind and was gone half a second later, leaving a confusing trail. _The other two... no way. They wouldn't know to come here... would they?_

_You did. Before you knew why,_ said a voice in the back of her mind. Muttering to herself, she grabbed her towel and twisted her hair up so it didn't get wet while she was in the water. Then she walked out onto the long deck and down the stairs. The cold was wonderful and evil all at the same time. 

_Next time, I wear a sweatshirt before I get to the hot tub_, she vowed silently. To her surprise, everyone except Sage was already there.

"Hey Charei," said Ryo. "What's up?"

"Nothing," she said, shaking away the thoughts she had gotten. Houta and Tapae would both have her head on a stick when they found out she had been in the hot tub with the guys and even more so if that thought got loose, so it was better not to think like that and focus on the fact that Rowen didn't have a shirt on. And looked damn good too. "Okay, so you're all hogging the hot tub. I knew there was a reason I didn't want to be left with five guys."

"Oh, come on Char," said Kento. "There's plenty of room." She yanked the towel off her shoulders, dropped it by theirs and slipped into the water. She tipped her head back and looked at the stars that were painted on the ceiling, completely unknowing to the fact that all of the guys were looking at her. When she glanced back down, they had already looked away, seeing Rowen's death stares all aimed at them. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on her hands. 

"Okay, so are you mad at me too?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"Mad?" asked Cye. "Why would we be mad?"

"Because, if you're thinking along the lines of your last team member, I've let Houta and Tapae go to their deaths," she answered.

"Sage thinks you sent them to die?" said Kento. She nodded.

"Something like that. But I didn't. They're my friends. Why would I..."

**Why would you what, pretty senshi? Deny your friends the right to what they think is theirs?** Charei straightened and growled quietly.

"I know that annoying voice," she said. "Alright, demon, what do you want?" 

"Oh, that's right, I haven't told you my name." The demon appeared, floating right in the middle of them. "Call me.. Shisama." Charei made a strangled sound.

"That's... you bastard! What are you doing?!"

"Oh, does that name trouble you, pretty senshi? What meaning does it have to you, young one? You should tell them, before they're more confused." Charei closed her eyes and swallowed tears.

"God, give me strength," she murmured. She felt Rowen's hand on her arm.

"Charei," he said softly. "It's okay. Whatever it is, it's okay." Her blue-brown-green eyes locked with his blue and he smiled gently. "We're still here for you."

"Shisamaye is... was... my mother's name. It's my real name. Shisama Charei Tenoh."

"The demon inside of you created me!" giggled the demon. "I'm immortal and you don't stand a chance, so just give up now, pretty senshi and Ronins. I'll win, in the long run." 

"You won't win," said Charei. "Not as long as we fight."

"Then I shall take you out of the fight, little one." Metal strands wrapped around her throat and lifted her from the water. The demon fired a blast of energy that knocked her into the far wall and laughed. "This is too easy. I want more fun."

"Charei!" shouted Rowen. She lifted her hand weakly to the chain around her neck, then passed out. 

"You're goin' down, demon!" said Kento. "Armor of Hardrock! Dao Gi!"

"Wildfire! Dao Jin!"

"Torrent! Dao Shin!"

"Strata! Dao Inochi!" 

"We've got to get this fight outside, before he involves Charei any further!" said Ryo. They all nodded. "If you wanna fight us, demon, you gotta catch us." The demon was torn between the warriors, who were now outside the cabin, or the dying girl.

"Humans always make thing so complicated," he said. He snapped his fingers and instantly, there was a second demon. This one was smaller and darker colored, but had the same psychotic grin. "Go take care of those children outside. I'll handle things in here." Charei groaned and pushed herself off the ground as the second demon went to fight. "Oh, do wake up, pretty one. I can't have any enjoyment out of killing you if you're unconscious."

"Yeah, well, I'll have to take a rain check on the whole death thing," she said, standing up. "Fire Wing Soul!" Two swords formed from the flames this time, and the demon actually shuddered. "You remember, demon? Our last fight."

"I remember how well you bounce back, pretty little Ronin senshi. That was battle was a result of my underestimating the combined powers of you and Strata. But he's not here now and I know exactly your power."

"Good. Then there's no confusion." 

"No confusion." A ball of yellow light formed in his hand and flames licked the edges of her swords. "No confusion. Poof!"

"Wing Scorch!" She crossed her swords to block his attack. The fire twisted into a shape of a bird and dove at the demon. He dodged, but it came back and slammed into his side. 

"Damn you!" he cursed, shaking his fist. "I'll kill you yet!"

"Right. Try me!"

"Flare Up NOW!" The littler demon dove to the right at the exact second there was the distinct sound of breaking glass. Charei hit the ground and slid through the snow, but was up in a second.

"Lousy son of a- Get back here!" she hollered at the other demon. "You're mine!"

"You don't know when to give up, pretty senshi. Sohlo, go back. I'll handle things here."

"Yes boss." The other demon disappeared and Charei joined the other guys, her eyes glowing green. There was a cut from the glass on her cheek and dried blood matted her hair, but she noticed none of it. 

"How can I get rid of you without destroying those armors? Hmm... First will go the pretty senshi, no doubt about that. Then I will worry about the rest of you interlopers. Sohlo!" The second demon reappeared, this time behind them. A blast of energy hit Charei, destroying her right wing and knocking the swords from her hands. She laid on the ground, not moving while the demons shared a laugh. "She is too easy. Alright, Ronins. Time to die."

"Thunderbolt CUT!" Sage's Light tore across the ground and hit the second demon. Caught off guard, he was destroyed.

"Damn! I knew they were missing one. Fine. All of you will die together!"

"Use the Inferno, Ryo!" said Cye. Ryo nodded and the armors glowed.

"Inferno?" said the demon. "I was not told of any Inferno."

"Your loss," said Kento. 

Charei felt incredible pain seeping through her armor. One of the wings was broken, but at the same time, she was surrounded by the opposite of her element. She was weaker here then she was when she had been fighting on the volcano. The sounds of a battle reached her.

"... any Inferno." Inferno... The pain numbed slightly as her thoughts raced. The InfernoBlade... the last of the Soul armors. Was it possible that it was one of them?

_I can't let them die, regardless,_ she told herself. _They're my friends and I owe them too much to give up._ "Force of Fire... hear my blight..." The ground trembled and heat shot through her armor. The pain from her back ceased. _Give this new strength to Ryo, please, give it to him. I don't need it_. The new power went to him, leaving her body weak and exhausted. Her eyes closed again and the armor disappeared. Cold and darkness overthrew her, sending her plunging into shadows worse then death.

Strong energy hit Ryo like a truck. He blinked and tried to control it, but it was almost too strong. He had to get rid of some of it.

"Rage... of... Inferno!"

Chapter 3- Return to the Gazebo

The whole cabin was quiet. Charei was unconscious, Ryo was sleeping, and everyone else was trying to figure out what the hell had happened. Where had that extra power come from? The Inferno was strong, but not _that_ strong. 

"Didn't... Jusai say that Charei could give power to Ryo?" asked Kento suddenly. "Maybe that's where it came from. And why she's out of it."

"That makes sense," said Cye. "But she'll get better. She's pulled through worse." Rowen sighed and leaned against the back of the chair. He was worried about both of them and Houta and Tapae too, but what troubled him the most was Charei. She wasn't resting calmly. Her face always looked confused and pained. Somehow, Shisama was still torturing her.

"I wonder where Houta and Tapae are," said Sage after a second prolonged silence. "The storm's gone."

"It's been gone for almost two days now," said Rowen. "They're probably on their way back." He cast a glance out the window. A wind blew up, sending the snow into a storm. When it cleared, something was limping through the dusk. "What the-"

"It's them!" said Cye. "Houta and Tapae!" 

"What?!" They all ran out into the snow and cold to meet up with them. Tapae was half dead and unconscious and Houta, even though she was supporting the other girl without much trouble, had a distant, far away look in her eyes. She fell to her knees and the two weapons she had been holding fell into the powder. Sage caught her before she fell too.

"Tapae," she muttered. "Please, get her inside. It's too cold. I can use my element..." He slid his jacket off and put it on her shoulders, then held her tightly.

"It's okay," he said. "Just rest, Houta. We'll make sure Tapae gets warm." She closed her eyes and nodded, then released her hold on the Descendent power and collapsed. Cye and Kento had already started towards the house with Tapae and Rowen picked up the two weapons carefully and followed. Sage stood up and looked in the direction they had come from. Despite the scattered snow, a red trail still sunk into the pure whiteness.

***************"They'll be okay," said Ryo. Tapae and Houta were alive, despite several deep gashes and a broken ankle on Houta's part. Sage had healed them to the best of his ability, but their energy was completely gone. And Charei was still unconscious, but Ryo had woken up. 

"These things are amazing," said Rowen. He had been looking at the spear and staff that Houta had dropped. "But what are they?" 

"They're weapons, created for Houta and Tapae specifically," said a voice from the door. There was Charei, wearing jeans and a half red, half black sweater. She still looked tired, but alert. "The whole point of their journey is that spear and staff."

"They almost died for _those_?" asked Sage. She ignored his angry tone and nodded, then pulled out a pocket knife. Charei knelt down by the weapons and sliced them quickly. The marks glowed, then vanished. Tapae whimpered and Houta clenched her fist. "What in the-"

"They're complete," she said, repocketing the knife. "If they could feel what I did, then the weapons and the bond are complete. These won't be going anywhere until they use their armors." She wandered out of the room. "I'll be downstairs." 

"Charei, wait," said Rowen. He got up and followed her out. Sage glanced at Houta, who had become peaceful again.

_Somehow,_ he thought. _I fell like you risked too much. But we'll see. We'll see._

***************"The black one's Tapae's!" said Charei. "It won't fit in Houta's trunk! Put it in the SUV! Rowen, I mean it. Give me the keys." She reached for them, but he pulled his hand back.

"You're still hurt. You can't be riding around on your bike," he said firmly.

"Hashiba, you're asking for an ass kicking."

"Ryo, get out here!" said Tapae. "We're gonna be late checking out if you don't hurry up!"

"We don't want to forget anything!" he yelled from the upstairs window. "I'm just making sure we didn't leave something behnd!"

"Well, make it quick!"

"It won't fit in your car," said Sage. Houta looked at the cloth wrapped spear in her hands and sighed.

"You're right. It won't. But I really don't want to..."

"It's not like she's gonna lose it. It'll be in her car when we get back to the house. Just put it in the trun-" Therewas a yell and snow flew up into the air. A few seconds later, Charei got to her feet, her face red and the keys dangling from her hand.

"I told you," she said to the slightly dazed Rowen. "Nobody takes my keys." She picked up her helmet off the roof of Houta's car. "See you back at the house."

"One question," said Kento. "How can you ride that for seven hours?"

"Seven hours?" asked Charei innocently. "Is it really that long?" 

"She's gonna get killed," said Rowen as she sped off. "It's too icy-"

"Stop worrying," said Houta. "Hasn't she taught you anything? She doesn't give what the rules are: she makes her own. That's just Charei for ya'. Let's go. I want to get back to where it's warm. I've had enough of this mountain to last me awhile."

"I'm with you, Houta," said Tapae. "Now if Ryo would only hurry up so we can _go_..." Ryo came out the front door and locked it behind him. He threw Charei's book into the back of Tapae's car.

"Are we ready?" he asked. Tapae sighed and shook her head. "What?"

"We've been waiting on _you_, Ryo," she said. "Other then that, we're ready."

"Hey Rowen," said Ryo as they got into the car. "I thought you were gonna get Charei to ride with us."

"Easier said then done, buddy," answered Rowen. "She doesn't care about her health enough to part with that bike for one trip back home."

"Charei doesn't do that kind of thing," said Tapae. She started for the driver's side, but Ryo got there first. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm driving this time."

"No you're not, it's my car." But she handed over the keys anyway and went around to the passenger side. "I don't have time for this. I just wanna go home."

"Hey Tapae, how long were your parents gonna be gone?" asked Kento. She bit her lip.

"They left in December about a week before you showed up... it's April... so about... a week!"

"A week? What?" asked Ryo. "That soon?" Tapae groaned and buried her face in her hands.

"Oh, man, I'm screwed," she said. "I've only a got a week to think of a good reason as to why I've got five guys living in the same house as me."

"It's okay," said Cye. "We'll help you think of something." There was a ringing sound. Tapae frowned and searched under the seat until she found the carphone.

"'Ello, Tapae Kenoh speaking... Mom!" The sound of a voice could be heard through the speaker.

"Tapae-chan, how are you, honey?"

"Just fine, Mom. I'm on my way back from the resort."

"Oh, did you have fun?"

"You bet."

"Are Houta and Shisama with you?" Tapae nodded, then grinned. 

"Yeah," she said. "Can't hear me nod over the phone." Ryo chuckled lightly.

"What about your other friends? Did you bring them?"

"Other friends, Mom? What other friends?" She exchanged a glanced with Ryo, who just shrugged.

"Those boys, Tapae-chan. The five that are staying with us as exchange students." Tapae's fingers gripped the phone tightly.

"They- they're fine, Mom, just fine. How are you and Dad and David?"

"We're great, love. Listen. You're dad's stress is still very high. It's all this weather changing over here that's getting to him. So we're gonna stay another six months. I hope that's okay." 

"... Ye- yeah, that's fine. No problem. We'll survive." Her voice was catching in her throat. This wasn't right. "Ha- have fun, Mom. Give the guys my love."

"Okay, sweetie. You be careful, okay?"

"Sure..." There was a click and Tapae set the phone down gently in her lap. Tears of anger and pain glistened in her eyes. "That bastard got to my family," she whispered. "And I can't help them..."

"It's okay," said Ryo, laying a hand on her shoulder and keeping the other on the steering wheel. "I'm sure they're fine." She blinked back tears and nodded.

"You're right. I've got to stop worrying about them. They'll be... fine." 

"Houta, watch the road."

"I am."

"Houta, watch the road!"

"I am, Sage, don't yell at me!" She glanced at him, as if daring him to tell her again to 'watch the road'. He just looked back at her, then shook his head and turned to the opposite window. Houta looked ahead of her and caught sight of Charei, just a little ways in front of them. For someone who, that morning, had fallen down a flight of stairs(why and how was still being discussed), she was doing pretty well. _I wish I knew what was bothering you, Charei. There's something wrong and you won't talk to anyone, even me and Tapae. Charei, it's gonna destroy you. You've gotta tell someone. Before it takes over your mind._

"Houta-"

"You say watch the road and I'll clock you."

"Well, I was gonna say that our turnoff is coming up, but if you don't care..."

"Sage, shut up." Houta slowed down and followed Charei on the ramp and turned south, instead of east. "I _can_ drive, you know. You just gotta give me a chance."

"I know you can drive," he said. "But you need to keep your eyes on the roa- ow!" Houta let her hand rest on the steering wheel again and grinned slightly.

"I warned you," she said. "And you said it anyway. Oh, man, she just ran that light. Charei, you idiot!" Houta stopped and rolled her eyes. "And you mock _my_ skills."

"I don't mock them. I just don't think they're well used." The light turned green and Houta hit the gas. This was going to be an... interesting trip.

***************

"Where's Tapae?" asked Charei. She walked into the kitchen and set her helmet on the counter. 

"Outside in the gazebo," said Ryo. "The demon got to her parents."

"Poor Tapae. I'm gonna go talk to her." She walked outside and across the wet grass. It had rained again. "Tapae, what's up, kid?"

"My family..." muttered Tapae. "Shis- it got to my family." Charei sat down across from her.

"You can call it Shisama. I don't even consider that my name anymore. Only on the first day of school." Tapae grinned, then frowned again. "Tapae, you can't be like this. There's so much that you don't know yet. You've got to keep your mind here, in the war."

"My mind's in the war, but my heart's with my family," said Tapae. "How can he do this? They're not even in this country."

"Tapae, I wonder where your head is," said Charei, crossing her arms over her chest. "The evil of the Dynasty is a world wide problem, even if they're only attacking here."

"Yeah, but... I'm just so confused." There was a crashing sound from the trees. Both girls jumped up. Shisama's evil laughter echoed around them.

"Pretty seshi, pretty senshi, does it hurt so bad?" 

"Force of Fire, hear my blight!" said Charei. "Fire Wing Soul!" A whole new energy flowed into her. 

"Force of Earth, hear my plea!" yelled Tapae. "EarthAbsolute Soul!" Orange light flowed from her hand and surrounded her. She bit down a cry of pain with the wings, just like Charei. Back at the house, unseen, the staff glowed and vanished from Tapae's bed. It reappeared in her hand and she spun it easily. It felt too light to be made of metal, but it was strong. "Stone Soar!"

"Do you really think I want you, pretty Earth senshi? No no no. I've got different plans for you. Come, Fire senshi. I'm sick of games." Thick tentecles shot from the ground and grabbed Charei's arms. She hollered and struggled for a second before disappearing completely.

"Charei!" shouted Tapae. "No!" The wind died and she landed gently on her feet. "No!!"

"You want her back? And Wildfire too? Then come to the Naicaya Tower and meet me on the roof before sunset tomorrow. Bye bye now!"

"Ryo, too? Damn it!" 

"Tapae!" said Houta, seeing her friend kneeling on the ground. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine!" said Tapae. "But Shisama-"

"Yeah, I know. Get in here. We've got some planning to do."

Chapter 4- Mission Impossible

"Okay, look," said Tapae, spreading out a roll of paper onto the already covered table. "The Naicaya Tower is the second tallest building. It's got one hundred three floors, all with a different security system and all very advanced."

"How are we gonna get in?" wondered Sage. "And to the top without being caught?"

"I say we go up on the outside," said Kento. Houta shook her head.

"No can do. It's all glass. We're not here to destroy public property. What else do you have, Tapae?"

"Not much, other then a few floor plans, but they're all open to the public anyway. The highest we can get during business hours in the observation deck, which is still six floors shy of our goal and they're the highest guarded in the thing, so that still presents a problem. Hold on, be right back." She left the room and came back with her laptop. "I wonder if Curt or Adam can help us."

"Who?"

"Two guys we know that work there. Houta-"

"Got it covered." Houta walked around the table and grabbed the phone. She dialed a number, waited, then started humming with the song that played while she was on hold. Tapae shook her head, but kept her eyes on the computer.

"I really wonder... anyway, from what I'm seeing, the first level after the observation deck will be the easiest-"

"Wait a minute. Tell me you're not hacking," said Sage.

"You wanna get to Ryo and Charei as much as I do? Sit down and listen. The toughest one is the third floor. It's a combination of two and if one gets turned off, the other ones activates, summoning dogs, guards, the whole shebang, so..."

"We've got to split up and get them both," said Cye. "At the same time. That's won't be possible."

"Maybe, maybe not. I wonder..." She got up and opened a pantry. A box of random junk was at the top, but among them, six headsets. "My cousin left these here. They're like walkie-talkies, only hands free."

"Can you hook them up to the phone line?" asked Houta, slipping with the phone again. "Damn it. Stay where you're supposed to- No, not you, Curt. I was talking to the phone. Yeah, I know that's stupid. Just shut up. Hey, we've got a problem." The way she said it, there had to be a pause while he switched to a private line. "It's about the Descendents."

"He knows?" mouthed Kento. Tapae nodded. 

"He's Houta's uncle-in-law, kind of. They're not really related in any way, but they're still close, as far as... that goes."

"I've located three," said Houta, lowering her voice. "And one's been kidnapped. Along with another friend of mine. They're on the roof. We've got until sunset tomorrow."

"Sunset..." muttered Tapae, feeling a wave of guilt and shame. "I was right there. I could've helped her."

"Chill, Tapae. He's getting Adam. Adam designed most of the top level security. Most." She covered her other ear while stuff was being told to her. "Adam, Adam, you're talking too fast. Calm down. We'll get Charei back. Just... yes, I know there's too much heat on top of the building. It's them. Just send what you can to Tapae without getting caught, got it? We'll handle the rest." She hung up and the kitchen was covered in silence. Then a beeping sound came from Tapae's computer.

"Got it," she said. "We've got levels ninety-seven, ninety-eight, on hundred, one-oh-one, one-oh-two, and one-oh-three. Exactly what we don't need. We need ninety-nine." 

"Can we improvise?" asked Sage. Tapae was lost in thought and didn't hear him. "Houta?"

"Probably. We need to do this with absolute planning, minus one tough ass level. Okay, let's try..."

***************

"The observation deck is closing. Please use the stairs or the elevator for exits. Thank you." Sage leaned in closely to Houta. Her face was set in stone, but they were playing the couple. Not a far cry from reality, of course, but both of them had a mission.

"Where are you, Tapae?" she whispered. Across the room, near the service elevator, Tapae stood in between Cye and Kento, all three forcing themselves to look mad. They had preformed quite a fight, Cye and Kento with each other mostly (over Tapae) and Tapae in the backround, trying to break it up and not laugh at the same. 

"Use your eyes, stupid," muttered Tapae. "We're near the service elevator. Where's Rowen?"

"Playing the distraught boyfriend at the far end of the observation deck. He's pretty good."

"His girlfriend's gonna die in less then five hours if we don't hurry up. Why won't these people leave?" Tapae sounded anxious. Ryo was up there too. She wasn't going to give up on any of them. 

Finally, about five minutes later, the last person left. 

"Let's go," said Sage to Houta. She nodded.

"The more time we waste, the worse this gets. Tapae, get Rowen and take Kento with you on the service elevator. Right to left wing?"

"Right. You use Curt's office for you code on the third floor. I'll take Adam's." The girls looked at each other and nodded. "Cye. Let's go."

"Gotcha." Sage, Houta, and Cye started for the regular elevator. She slipped the key Curt had given her into the hole on the panel inside and turned it. All of the lights lit up and she pressed it for the third floor above them. "We don't need to by pass the first three. This little key does that for us. But the third level..."

"We're on the elevator," said Tapae's voice. "All of us. The connections getting fuzzy. We'll talk more on the third floor."

"Okay," said Houta. She lifted the headset off and set it on the floor, then plugged the computer line into the elevator panel. "If I can... use Curts's password and get into the security central without being detected... there."

"How can you do that?" asked Cye. "You and Tapae both are really good with computers. Almost too good."

"It's all in how I was raised," she said, focusing her eyes on the screen. "Tapae, Charei, and I used to live around technology. You don't grow up with that and not pick up some serious tricks of the trade."

"What kind of technology did you grow up around?" said Sage. 

"Military, Navy, Army. All that. My parents were pilots. Okay. We've reached the third floor. I can't do anything until we get Tapae and the others back. Sage, try and listen for them. I'm gonna get as close to done as I can without setting it off."

"Okay," said Sage. 

"Cye, watch the cables," she added.

"What? Why?"

"The cables on the elevator," she said. "I have a feeling they need watching or they're gonna snap before we know it. It's cliche, but effective."

"Why do I get the feeling you've done this before?" asked Cye, shifting to the back wall. He looked up through the open roof panel and kept a steady eye on the cable. Sage watched Houta. She had a whole new attitude about her and a new focus. There was a glimmer in her eyes.

_This is what I born doing,_ she thought. _My father taught me do this, my mother tried to get it out of my blood... but what was meant to be was meant to be. Come on, I need to do this right._

"Houta, Sage, Cye, someone answer," came Tapae's voice. "I'm thirty seconds from full download. How about you?"

"Pause your download for fifteen seconds. Let mine catch up."

"Houta-"

"Okay. Restart."

"No problem, Houta."

"There's-"

"Twenty seconds."

"Houta!" said Cye. "The cable's sliding!"

"I can't go!" she said. "Both of you, get out of here!"

"We won't leave you," said Sage. She looked up at him, her eyes burning.

"I'm not giving you a choice," she said as the elevator jerked. "Go. I can take care of myself."

"Houta-"

"Sage, don't start. Just go." She stood up and grabbed her headset. "Tapae, we've got a problem. Soon as the program is executed, I'm gonna cut off."

"Okay. Five seconds." Sage and Cye were on top of the elevator now, both gripping the cables as they snapped, one by one. Only one was left now. "Four. Three. Two. One. Executing program."

"Yup." Houta hit the enter. A second later, the doors opened. "Got it! I'm going." She unplugged her computer, grabbed the key, and ran to the back of the elevator. Sage reached for her hand, his other one holding onto a snapped line. 

"Houta!" He caught her hand and the cart fell. A huge explosion followed. 

"Okay," said Cye. "Here's a question: why didn't you just go out the door?"

"I didn't know if Tapae got the other system," she said. "James said something about a delayed reaction to the shut down. But it was only five seconds and it's been longer then that, so she did. Now, let's get to the roof."

"Okay," said Sage. "But we have to take the stairs." Houta laughed.

"Of course."

***************

"Shisama would have a thing with flying mystical daggers," said Ryo. Charei only looked at him. It hadn't even been a full twenty four hours on Shisama's rooftop funhouse and already, they were done for. One of the daggers was embedded into Ryo's leg and the other... in Charei's stomach. She hadn't said a thing in at least an hour.

"There you are," said Shisama's voice. "Oh, did you get hit? It's a pity, really. Can't get them out, can you? Only certain people can, Wildfire, only certain people can."

"What do you mean?" asked Ryo, but the demon was gone. Charei groaned and started to sit up, her hand clutching the dagger. "Charei, don't."

"They're coming after us, Ryo," she said. "The others. They'll be here soon."

"I know they are coming, but you've got to lay back down. You're hurt."

"You're one to talk. Do you really think you'll get very far on that leg?" She leaned against a silver air tower, and closed her eyes. "Force of Fire, hear my..."

"Charei, don't!" said Ryo. "You'll kill yourself!"

"Hear my blight. Release!" A red glow surrounded her, then shifted across the air to him. Warmth flowed into him, killing the pain in his leg and giving him strength. Charei's hand slipped and she fell to her knees. "I still... have my duty to Jusai..."

"Charei?" said Ryo. She didn't answer, just layed there, a circle of red spreading out around her.

***************"Someone's coming," said Sage. He stopped at the top of the last flight of stairs. There were voices coming from ahead of them. 

_Wisdom_

_Trust_ Sage and Cye's subarmor appeared and a soft glow surrounded Houta. A few seconds later, there was a laugh.

"Glad to know you care, Houta," said Tapae. "Now calm down and come check this out."

"What's up, guys?" came Kento's voice. Tapae was kneeling on the floor, leaning over her computer intently.

"I've got heat signatures," she explained to Houta. "Us and some major stuff above us."

"It's just one big blob," said Houta. "He's trying to mask where they are exactly. There's got to be an easier way to find them."

"Let's see what's on the rest of this level," said Sage. The other three nodded and walked off. 

"What other things can we do?" wondered Tapae. 

"Wait a minute," said Houta. "What's that? That lighter spot."

"It can't be them. That means the source is... dying..." They looked at each other and Tapae closed her eyes. "I'll zoom in and see what I get."

"There's something up here," said Cye. "There's people, but I don't think-"

"It took you long enough to bypass this human technology," said Shisama. "And now your girls are trying to figure out why my little barrier is blocking them from finding the pretty soldier and Wildfire. But, you see, I have them right here." Ryo and Charei appeared, unconscious and hanging from the ceiling. Near them, two guys, in the same situation.

"Guys," said Houta, coming up behind them. "There's something up. Tw- James! Adam!"

"Choose, warriors. You're friends, or the innocent lives of these two humans." Soldiers appeared too, at least fifty, all in one cramped space. They prepared themselves for a fight while Tapae tried to get the dying heat source onto a bigger picture. 

"Let's kick some Dynasty tail," said Kento. Two soldiers barreled into him and chaos broke out. 

"Force of Water, hear my cry!" said Houta. "Ice Spear!" Within minutes, dark smoke filled the room. And more soldiers kept appearing. "I can't call my wings!" she yelled. "There's not enough room!"

"Just get to them!" yelled Sage. "We'll handle the soldiers!" Houta dodged between soldiers, trying to decide. Her best friends or her best friends. It wasn't going to be an easy choice.

_"This is weird,"_ she heard Tapae say. _"All of sudden, there are two more people."_

_Only two of them are real!_ said a voice in Houta's mind. _But which two?_

"Make a choice, senshi of Water. Make a choice," said Shisama. Tapae finally managed to get her computer to work. The light red was now almost green. When it reached blue, whoever it was, was dead. The faint line of a human was visible in the larger picture. Something moved over it, something that was very alive and had blended in with the rest of the roof. It was another person.

"Ah ha," she muttered. But there was no feeling of pride. Someone was dying and ten to one, it was Charei. Damn her! 

Houta looked back at the battle scene, thinking as she avoided more soldiers.

_Only two are real. But which ones?!_

"What is your descision?" asked Shisama. "Who's gonna die?"

"No one," said Houta. She kicked the soldier away from Adam and James. "Because these are the only ones who exist." Shisama cursed and the false Ryo and Charei vanished, leaving only the unconscious guys.

"But you'll never find the other two," he added. A door opened, revealing a stairway. "You're welcome to try, but you won't get very far."

"Watch us," said Tapae, walking onto the scene. She had her computer on her arm and death on her face. "Let's go." Everyone nodded.

***************Ryo didn't move, only stayed with Charei. She was dying slowly. Anytime she came close to full death, the dagger glowed, keeping her alive. And he wasn't going to leave her. 

Suddenly something blocked out the sunlight. Two figures with wings landed near him.

"She isn't supposed to die," said a voice. "Not like this. We have to get the dagger out."

"Shisama said that only a certain person can remove it," countered another voice. "And I doubt it's one of us."

"It won't hurt to try." A hand reached out and gripped the dagger. It came free, but Charei jerked in pain. "What can we do now?"

"There's only one person who can heal her." Blue eyes looked at Ryo through the darkness. "We've done our part. Let's go." They disappeared over the edge of the roof. Ryo felt something warm on his hand and looked down at Charei. Blood was spilling from the wound that the dagger had left. If they knew who could heal her, why had they left? She was gonna die!

"Charei," he whispered. "I'm sorry." Her eyes opened slowly and she gave him a weak smile, then took something from her pocket.

"I'm gonna die," she said softly. "But I still haven't found... Ryo, you have to find the last Soul Bearer... please..." She tightened her grip as a spasm of pain tore through her. He caught the orb before it reached the ground when her strength left her again and she collapsed. 

"Give that to me," came Shisama's voice. "It doesn't belong to you."

"You killed her," said Ryo coldly. "She's dead because of you. I won't let you have the InfernoBlade."

"Ha! You won't be able to stop me!"

"Ryo!!" The others all appeared, running towards them.

"Guys!" said Ryo. "Armor up! Armor of Wildfire! Dao Jin!"

"Halo! Dao Chi!"

"Hardrock! Dao Gi!"

"Torrent! Dao Shin!"

"Strata! Dao Inochi!"

"IceAmend Soul!"

"EarthAbsolute Soul!" Tapae could feel tears threatening, seeing her friend laying on the ground in a pool of her own blood. "How could you? What did she do to deserve this? I'll kill you!" She dove at him, the blade tipped end of her staff raised. Houta attacked too, both of them converging at the same time. He vanished and they hit each other. 

"Houta!"

"Tapae!" 

"Ryo, we need the Inferno!" said Kento. Ryo nodded and gripped the orb tighter. Houta and Tapae pushed themselves off the ground and grabbed their weapons. 

"Ice Deep Freeze!"

"Earth Natural Ruin!" Charei slowly felt her hold on life slid. There was so much going on... did Rowen know she would miss him? Did her friends know that they had always been her first priority? Did Ryo know... 

_"Charei, my lovely little Charei, time to come home..."_

_I don't want to leave my friends or my life. I want to stay here..._

"Rage of Inferno!" Shisama dodged Ryo's attack with ease and slammed into the boy. Ryo went down hard, the orb slipping from the fold in his armor. 

"Time to die, boy!" yelled Shisama. White light exploded on the rooftop. Strength exploded in everyone, even Charei. The blood stopped and slowly, her life energy rejoined her body. Ryo felt enormous power rip through his armor. Charei opened her eyes and watched the scene unfold before her. 

_It's... it's him! It's the last one!!_* she thought, sitting up. _How could I have been so stupid? Ryo has the Inferno armor and the kanji Virtue but... I never thought... They need help! I've gotta help!_ "FireWing Soul!"

"Charei?" asked Ryo. The new energy was giving him a thousand times what he was used to. "What's going on?"

"Your wish to use the Inferno against Shisama awoke the InfernoBlade. It's part of your armor. They must've been separated in the past, probably by Talpa." Ryo felt incredible pain. The transformation was completing itself... there was only one thing left. "Don't fight it, Ryo!" shouted Charei. "It'll never work if you don't learn to act as one with the armor! Alright, Shisama, you and I gotta talk."

"Such brave words, for someone who's still not alive totally. Let me finish your descent into Hell!" 

"That's not gonna happen! Wing Scorch!" She crossed her swords and a fire bird erupted from them. It shot into the air and came back down. Shisama knew better then to dodge. He simply disappeared and reappeared. But the power was too strong. It hit him from behind, sending him down. "Do it, Ryo!" 

"Rage... of... Heaven!" 

The End.


	4. Default Chapter Title

Inside the Forbidden, pt 4: The End and the Beginning

Prologue- In Hot Water

Houta washed off the tomato and handed it to Linara.

"Sorry about abandoning you," said Linara. "But I've been so preoccupied with exams and everything."

"It's okay," said Houta, smiling. "I've been busy too. I probably didn't offer much help in that area." They both laughed."So we're making..."

"Pesto," was the answer. "Let's get to work."

"Houta, where the hell are you?" Charei walked in, her blue hair falling out of the ponytail she was attempting to hold with one hand. "What'd you do with my scrunchi?"

"It's on the couch. Or in the couch. It's part of one of those 'the couch' places."

"Thanks a lot. Hey Lina." Charei turned and disappeared back into the living room. Tapae soon replaced her.

"Houta, have you seen Ryo? He's not in his room, or the balcony, or anywhere in the basement Icould see."

"He isn't back from the movie yet."

"Damn. Hello, Linara." Tapae went out into the garage, grabbing her jacket. Winter was slowly coming. Slowly.

"Houta-" Linara jerked and dropped a tomato on the floor as Cye came in. She bent over quickly to retrieve it. "Where's the rest of everybody?"

"Tapae's outside, Charei and Rowen went for a walk, Ryo, Sage, and Kento are at the movie and we're in here making lunch."

"We?"

"Yeah. Me and Linara." Cye raised an eyebrow and Linara cursed at the silence. He was getting it too easily. She stood slowly. He jerked in surprise. Those eyes...

"Lina," he whispered. "But... how?"

"You weren't taken through dimension, brother. You were shoved into the future. Time passed normally for the rest of us," she said quietly. Houta looked between them both, first at Cye, then at Linara. The realization came over her.

"Oh. My god," she whispered. "You're... you're..." Linara sensed her friends hesitation and nodded.

"We are. Cye is my older brother."

Chapter 1- In the Middle of the Forgotten

"Wait a minute, I'm confused," said Charei. "So Cye and Linara are related? Just hold on a second. That makes about as much sense as... well, a lot of things in my life right now."

"Cye barely said anything about his sister," said Ryo. "His parents divorced when he was about ten and his mom took her up north. The only thing he knew was that she married some guy in an airshow." Tapae's head lifted up at the words 'airshow', but when she saw it wasn't Charei who had said it, she settled back down by the door.

"Damn," she muttered to herself. "So close." Houta elbowed her in the ribs and made a kill motion. Sage and Ryo chose to ignore them. The weirdness of the three girls was becoming familiar.

"So now we've got Cye's sister in this," said Charei. "I wonder..."

"Don't even," said Kento. "She can't be. That would be too strange."

"What? If Linara was a Descendent?" asked Houta. She shook her head. "I doubt it. I would've sensed it by now. The residue of the power lasts for at least a year, getting weaker, but it's there. Remember, the last two used their power the first time we met Shisama and that wasn't that long ago."

"Sure seems like," said Charei and Ryo at the same time in undertones. They looked at each other and Houta sighed.

"Only because you almost died," she muttered. Charei shot her a look. Neither her, nor Ryo had come out on the good end of that battle. It had been a week, but the pain still lingered. And Charei couldn't shake the deathlike feeling in the back of her mind. It kept growing and was in her dreams all the time. Her mother... her father... fourteen other people... one freak accident had cause so many problems and so much pain... "Charei? Wanna wake up, kid? It's time for dinner." Charei didn't say anything, only followed. Cye and Linara seemed to be fine, now that they were together. They made quite a team.

"Looks great," said Kento, sitting down. Everyone joined him. Two seconds later, Charei bolted from her chair and ran outside. "What the-"

"She finally got it," said Houta, standing up. "She finally freaking got it."

"Took her long enough," said Tapae. Both of them went after the first girl. Ryo got up and went after them, followed by everyone else except Linara. 

_I'm not part of it,_ she said to herself. _It's not my problem._

"Who used Light?" asked Charei, looking around. There was no one in sight, but a long black mark ran across the ground. A demon lay burnt to a crisp on in the dirt nearby. "What the hell is going on?" A shadow moved across the moon and vanished. "Light Illume! That was the Light Illume! I've got to go after it!" Rowen grabbed her arm.

"No way. For once, Charei, listen to me when I say you're too weak to do this. It's long gone. You can't over exert yourself."

"Rowen-"

"Charei-"

"Both of you, shut up. Let's get back to dinner. We'll think about this later. I'm hungry now," said Kento, turning back into the house. The others followed, everyone but Rowen and Charei. They stood outside, facing each other, Charei's eyes aflame in the darkness. 

"Rowen," she said. "Why do I have to keep telling you this-" He stopped her and touched his finger to her lips.

"From now on," he said. "Listen. Don't use your head. Use your heart. If your body is telling you to take it easy, which it's gotta be, then _listen_. You'll kill yourself and that's the last thing I, or anybody else, want."

"Rowen..." He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her closely. "I won't let Shisama win because of me. I was born to stop him. You of all people should know... that..." He kissed her warmly. _Oh, man I could kill him for this,_ she thought. _He's too protective but I'll be damned if he isn't the most wonderful guy on the earth. Shisama hurts him and there's gonna be hell to pay._

"Hey!" said Houta. "Either come in and eat or stay out there and starve!"

***************

"Alright, Miss Tenoh, what's the adjective and adverb in this sentence?" Charei studied the board, then answered. "Very good. Mr. Hashiba, what about the pronoun, conjunction, and interjection?" 

BRRRRRRRRRIIIINGGGG! Charei cursed the bell silently. She had been hoping to see if Rowen was really doing his homework.

"You wanna skip lunch today and go somewhere?" asked Rowen as they walked to their lockers.

"Sure, sounds good," she answered. "Meet you at the front door." He nodded and walked off. She stopped at her locker, opened it, then jumped back in surprise. A dead rat was hanging from the coat rung in the back, a knitting needle through its heart. "Oh, Christ," she said. "You sick bastard."

"Do you like it?" came a cold voice behind her. She whirled around and faced a boy, about her height, with jet black hair and cold black eyes. "I thought it was a wonderful gift."

"Shisama!" she hissed. "What? Does killing innocence get old?" He laughed darkly.

"I came to warn you: LightIllume and AirWind are my personal soldiers. They're the only ones that don't know it. Watch your back, pretty senshi. They're the best in the world." Charei grabbed the mutilated rodent as he vanished into the crowd of kids.

"Damn it," she swore. "I should've seen this coming."

"What?" asked another voice. She turned again, almost throwing the needle-ridden rat into the face of Kellei.

"Oh, geez, Kell, don't do that. I'm serious," she said, taking in a deep breath. "Just some sick jokester."

"What'd he say about the armors?" Charei grabbed her wrist and pulled her into an empty classroom.

"He says they're against us," she explained softly, wrapping the rat in an old newspaper and throwing it in a trash can. "That you and AirWind fight for him. It's all bull shit, only he doesn't get it."

"AirWind's made a mistake: she was found out." Charei nodded.

"So I've heard. Kellei, it's not safe, even here. Shisama's not getting weaker, for all that we do. We'll have to put more faith in the guys and you and AirWind have to make an appearance. It's begun, Kellei. We might as well end it together."

"Charei, you've lost your mind," said Kellei. "We can't win unless we kill ourselves in the process. You know that. It's going to take the InfernoBlade, plus the full Soul Bearers and the Descendents coupled with the Ronins they were born to protect."

"I know, I know, but _our mission_ is still the world's safety. Look, let's talk this over later. I've got to go. I was supposed to meet Rowen five minutes ago." She grabbed her backpack and ran out the door. Rowen was waiting in the parking lot, patiently. "Sorry," she said. "I had to talk to someone."

"Come on," he said. "I figured we had time to go somewhere in town for lunch."

"Please say 'Thai' at the end of the sentence," she said. "And don't get on my case. I'm taking my bike. And you're coming with me."

"Charei, I'll agree on the Thai food, but not the bike. I remember the last time I was on that thing with you. You almost hit a couple walking across the street."

"Cut me some slack. I was trying to get your ass to the hospital. You were bleeding pretty badly. Really badly obviously." She tossed him a helmet.

"What do you mean?" he asked, getting on behind her. She grinned and pulled hers on.

"It was a guy and his dog."

Chapter 2- The Unbidden Arrival

Charei set the plates down on the table and fixed her watch, which kept sliding around on her wrist. The numbers changed to '7:30' and she sighed. Thank God. All the secrecy was about to end.

"Charei," said Linara. "She told me tonight..." Charei nodded.

"Yeah. This has to end. We can't keep you hidden anymore."

"He's gonna kill me."

"Of course. He's your brother. It's what he does." They both laughed and Linara turned back to the stove. Charei sat at the table and laid her head down on her hands. "Man. It would have to be today."

"I'm sorry," said Linara. "But you wanted this done as soon as possible."

"I know, I know," sighed Charei. "It's just not a good day today."

"How's your head?"

"Hurts like hell. Same as it usually does." She stood up and walked over to the cupboard. "Aspirin's only gonna help the mental part of it, but it's still a help."

"Don't take too much. You'll have some explaining to do. Not to mention I need competent help to finish dinner."

"Ask someone else. Aspirin's not gonna make me competent." The garage door opened and everyone who hadn't been in, came in. Tapae came out of the living room, awoken from a nap by the smell of food.

"I'm starving," she said.

"Oh, that's a new one," said Houta. "Tapae hungry."

"Shut up," snapped Tapae. "Be nice."

"Don't get angry, Tape," said Ryo. She threw her hands up.

"I give in!" she said. "So much insanity, so little tolerance for it," she added, shaking her head. "Can we eat yet?"

"I'm with Tapae," said Kento. "Can we eat yet, Lina?" Linara laughed. 

"It's all ready," she said. "Everybody sit down. Charei, wanna help?" Charei nodded and went to help her. "Do you feel that?" whispered Linara after the kitchen had been emptied. "He's near."

"You and Kell might have a reason to show up tonight," Charei whispered back. "If he attacks."

"Can we get him to attack?"

"Do we want to get him to attack?" Both of them frowned and Linara lifted the pan off the stove. Charei grabbed the pot and they started for the dining room. 

What they found was a hole. 

"Why don't I like this?" said Charei, staring into the infinite darkness. "Lina? Remember that evil feeling?"

"Yeah, I get the idea. We've got to go after them."

"We'll have to wait for Kellei." There was a thud on the roof. "Right on time. As usual. Let's go. FireWing Soul!"

"AirWind Soul!" Footsteps came behind them. Kellei, her green wings folded behind her, came into the dining room. 

"Whoa," she said. "Holy black hole. Where is everyone?"

"Down there, probably," said Charei. "Let's move. Hopefully, Houta and Tapae managed to call their wings before it was too late."

"We'll know soon enough." All three of them dove off the edge and caught a strangely warm thermal. For those of us scienticifally challenged, a thermal is an uplift of warm air. Basically, it's what makes birds soar. "We're leaving ourselves open."

"If he's got his attention on us, then he's left his attention on them," said Charei. She pulled her wings back. "Come on!" The other two followed, which made it quicker getting to the bottom.

And to fate.

***************

Charei groaned and opened her eyes. Solid rock all around. She sat up and felt a distinct pain in her right shoulder. She didn't have to see to know: her right wing was broken.

"It's always the right one," she muttered, standing up. Something in the darkness around her gave a childlike giggle. "Ohhhkay. Who's there?!" she asked, forming her swords. The metal gleamed with unnatural light, sending bizarre shadows dancing across the walls. The laugh came again, then singing.

"A tisket, a tasket, I've lost my little basket..." said the voice. It echoed through the cavern and sent chills down Charei's spine. "A tether, a tother, you have lost your mother..." Her grip on the swords tightened.

"Who are you?!" she repeated. The singing continued.

"A tither, a tather, and you have lost your father." Something scuttled across the ground. Charei yelled and jumped back. Tiny red eyes stared at her from the other side.

"Damn it," she muttered. "It's just a god damned rat. What do you want?" The song stopped and there was the sound of muffled sobbing.

"I only want a friend," said the voice. "It gets so cold and lonely down here. Ever since I died..." Charei lowered her swords and sighed.

"I didn't mean to make you cry," she explained. "But that song wasn't very nice. Where are you?" The cave suddenly darkened and the light from her swords took a more distinct shape.

"He attacked so quickly," whispered the voice. "I saw them die. There was so much heat and screaming. People keep dying, all around me. My dad's friend came. He's trying to save me. I'm frozen to the spot. Oh no! The tent's starting to cave in around me..." Another voice suddenly joined the little girl's. It was as pained and as lost, but wasn't as young. It carried more maturity to it, hidden somewhere in the agony.

"He pushed me from the tent, sacrificing his life. God, the pain. It's too much. The heat and the flames. They're all still in there. Why won't someone save them? They're still alive... they have to be..." Charei's voice trailed off. "It's not possible. How can you..." A shadow moved, right in front of her. It stepped within the line of the light from her swords. "Oh, good Lord..." Empty blue eyes stared up at her, framed by long blue bangs, half pulled up in a messy ponytail. 

"I've wanted revenge," said the little girl. "For what he did. He killed my family and created you from the ashes of _my_ soul. You're not Charei Tenoh. You're just a pawn in his little game."

"No!" The older voice rang around them. "I don't know what kind of demon you are, but I _am_ the real Charei Tenoh."

"If you're the real Charei, what's your favorite color?"

"Maroon. Like the sunset."

"No! It's yellow, like mother's plane. You're down one. Second question: who's your best friend?"

"Easy. I have two: Houta and Tapae." The little girl giggled.

"What about Samsu?" she said pointedly. "Two. This is the last one: who's the most important person in the world to you?" Charei paused.

_I could say Rowen,_ she thought. _Because he is. But this isn't me now, this is me then. The me that died with my parents._ "The most important person is... I can't answer that! That's the dumbest question I've ever asked myself! Everyone's important to me." The little girl's eyes lifted to Charei's.

"Samsu asked me that yesterday and I told him the same thing," she said. "You _are_ me. Why haven't you gotten revenge?"

"Revenge?" 

"For what that demon did!" The little girl took a step forward. "Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?! I don't want to remember those days. It's... too hard." The girl smiled gently and held out her hand.

"Let me show you," she said. "And it will hurt less." Charei hesitated. This was her chance to find out what really happened that day. To find out what she had suspected all along. 

"Okay." Her swords vanished and she took the little hand. A glow spread around them...

Flash!

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the 1989 Toyama Air show!" There were crowds of people everywhere. Old, young, it didn't matter. Everyone loved this kind of thing.

"Mommy!" said little Charei. She let go of her older self and ran to her mother's arms. Older Charei was in her regular clothes again. "Mommy, this is my friend."

"It's nice to meet you," said the woman. She had sparkling blue eyes and soft brown hair. "I'm Shisamaye Tenoh."

"C- Cara." Shisamaye turned to her daughter.

"Alright, little one, you go to the tent. Your father and I have a show to do."

"But mommy, the demon-" Shisamaye put her fingers to little girl's lips.

"Go to the tent and wait. If I see any demons, you'll be the first person I tell, okay?" Little Charei nodded. "That's a girl. Will you take her, Miss Cara?" Charei nodded. "Thank you. Go on, Charee." She sat the child down and disappeared into the crowd of people.

"She never listened," muttered older Charei. "I tried to tell her about the demon, but she wouldn't listen." She felt someone tugging at her hand.

"Let's try Hellena," urged the girl. "Houta's mother. She'll listen."

"Our first act today is the Flight of Wings!" said the announcer. "And here they come!"

"It's too late," whispered Charei. "They're gonna die." She looked around the tent, trying to keep her sadness down. Everything was exactly the same. The table against the back with books, crayons, tons of things for little kids to do. "Why don't you go color?" suggested Charei to her younger self. "To pass the time?" The little girl nodded and walked to the back. A few seconds later, a boy came in. He had dark black hair with warm brown eyes.

"Charei," he said, sitting next to the little girl. "Where have you been?" She grinned.

"Right here, Samsu."

"Samsu..." The older Charei felt intense pain. He was going to die too. A flash of light came from outside. Charei ran to the door and looked up. The plane her mother and father were in had collided with Hellena's. The fiery wreckage was falling towards them. She listened. There is was! That laugh...

"We've got to get out!" yelled Samsu. He reached for younger Charei's hand, but an early piece of metal fell through the roof. It struck him, killing him instantly.

"Samsu?" asked younger Charei. She shook her friend's shoulders, crying his name. "Samsu! Wake up! Please!!"

_It's just a memory..._ said a voice in the back of her mind.

_Just a memory..._ agreed one in older Charei's. 

"You can end this!" she said. "Just stop remembering!"

"But that's all I am!" the other girl yelled. "A memory! _You_ are the one remembering!"

"Me...?" Older Charei closed her eyes and blocked out the screams around her. "It's just a memory," she told herself. "They died a long time ago. I only have my friends now. And Rowen..." The sounds died away, replaced by sounds of a cave. She opened her eyes and looked down at her younger self. "If that was my memory, then what are you?" she asked softly. 

"I'm the part of you that you lost that day. You're entire life before the 'accident'. You have to defeat Shisama! It's all because of him they died!" She sat down on the ground and started crying. "I've been so alone. I just want to go back to my family and my life!" Charei knelt down and brushed the girl's tears away.

"I'll defeat that bastard," she said. "We'll both do it. Together." She held out her hand. The little girl didn't hesitate before nodding.

"Together."

Chapter 3- The Child

"Where's Charei?!" yelled Houta. She sliced through some soldiers and bit back a cry of pain as another slammed into her side.

"I don't know!" said Tapae. "Die, Dynasty trash!" She ran the sharp end of her staff through two or three soldiers. "I just hope she's okay!"

"I still can't believe it's you," said Cye. Linara grinned and sliced into armor with her glaive.

"It's been awhile, remember," she said. "Cye of the Torrent." Suddenly, there was a flash of light. Shisama appeared, laughing his ass off.

"So naive they are," he said. "You're searching for one of your own, I'm assuming? Well, I can give her to you. yes I can."

"Where's Charei?!" asked Rowen. Shisama sighed.

"Fine. Ruin my fun." He snapped his fingers and Charei appeared. She lay in mid air, directly in front of him, odd burns on her bare skin and blood soaking through her T-shirt. Houta gave a chocked gasp.

"Not again!" she said. "What did you do to her?"

"I did nothing!" said Shisama. "She did this to herself! By staying to save that boy!"

"You leave him out of this!" yelled Tapae. "Samsu was too young!" Ryo looked at her, confused.

"What's going on?" he asked, but she didn't answer.

"You were all supposed to die," said Shisama. "You two and her. But that damned boy had to intervene. He deserved to die."

"You bastard!" Houta's armor glowed. "Force of Water! Spiral Torrent!!"Shisama dodged and lost his hold on Charei. She fell to the ground and still didn't move. "Charei!" 

"Tut tut," said Shisama, resuming his position. Charei lifted off the ground again, but this time, her eyes opened. They were blank and empty and looked at none of her friends in particular.

"I am bound by fate," she said wistfully. "To serve my master." Shisama laughed.

"That's the smartest thing she's ever said!!" She turned on him.

"And that is not you, demon." A red glow surrounded her and turned into her armor. But there was something different. Ryo felt intense pain and power flow through him. The InfernoBlade! "We are united again. My past can no longer haunt me. It has become me." Her voice was steady, unwavering. "You will not win, Shisama. Good will triumph."

"You... you're bluffing. You wouldn't dare use your full power." He didn't sound so certain. 

"You know I will. You created this power. You will die by it." She landed gently on the ground near her friends. "We will win." 

"So the end has come," said Shisama. "But I won't go down without taking you with me." She just nodded.

"I know," she said. "I know..."

"Let's get him," said Ryo. "He's going down." 

"We'll win and save the world!" said Houta.

"Then can we get something to eat?" asked Kento. They laughed. 

"Then we'll get something to eat," said Linara. "I'll make whatever anyone wants. To celebrate."

"How about we go out?" said Kellei. "You shouldn't have to work when we're going to celebrate, Lina." 

"Can we get Italian?" said Tapae hopefully. Ryo shook his head.

"Whatever you want, Tape," he said. Shisama raised his arms over his head.

"I call upon the darkness! Destroy these do gooders!" Charei leapt off the ground and slammed into him. They grappled before she managed to catch his arms and pin them to his sides. "Damn you!"

"Now!" she screamed at her friends. "Do it now! Forget about me and kill him!" The other four girls flew off the ground and stopped in the air around them. Each armor that matched their element stood beneath them. 

"Full force of Water!"

"Full force of Earth!"

"Full force of Air!"

"Full force of Light!" Power shot from the ground, amplified by the Ronins.

"Trust!"

"Justice!"

"Life!"

"Wisdom!" Ryo took his place at the top of the entire scene. 

"Full force of Fire!" Charei managed to yell. Her grip was slipping. "Do it, Ryo!"

"Virtue!" hollered Ryo. All of the power shot from the girls to him, including a line straight up the middle. "Rage... of... Heaven!!" He formed the power above him and aimed it down. Charei tightened her hold. It slammed into both her and Shisama, but he was the only one that screamed in rage and pain. The light faded and both of them were gone. Slowly, the four girls let go of their power and it vanished into the earth again. They landed on the ground and the armors disappeared.

"Charei..." whispered Houta. Pain echoed in her voice. "Charei! No!" Sage put his arm around her and she started crying. "Oh, god..."

"She sacrificed herself," said Linara. "For the good of the world."

"No," said Kellei. "It was more then that. It was revenge. It was because of Shisama that her parents died. And your mother, Houta. I heard about it while we were still in the Tokyo circuit. But it took me awhile to find out what _really_ happened." Rowen's armor vanished and he fell to his knees.

"I can't believe I lost her!" he said, slamming his fist onto the ground. "Charei!" There was a sparkle of light. Linara took a step forward and bent down over it. Instantly, a blue light engulfed her. One by one, the other girls did the same. Each time, a light shone from them. It went back to their elements in the Ronins and the InfernoBlade armor glowed again. It's white light exploded and when it pulled back, there was a child standing where the small flash had come from.

"We're safe," she said. "Both of us. She saved me from my torment in the past and I saved her from torture in the future. Shisama has been defeated. Go and live your lives, warriors, to the fullest. There is no reason you should feel pain over her death."

"I loved her!" said Rowen. "I have every reason to feel pain!"

"Is there anyway to bring her back?" asked Tapae. "Please. We just want our friend back. Tell us." 

"She doesn't want you to be upset! She wants you to go on!" yelled the girl, tears in her eyes. "I just want to leave! I want to be with my parents!" She vanished instantly, back into the orb, still crying. Then she reappeared near Rowen. "Why can't you understand? She loves you too! But it wasn't supposed to be!"

"Why?" asked Rowen. "Why can't I be with her? I love her. I don't want to lose her." A red light shot from the ground and surrounded the little girl. Her eyes closed, then opened again, less angry then before.

"I don't want to lose you either," she said quietly. "But I can't come back. I can't live again."

"Why not?" whispered Rowen. "You've never played by the rules, Charei. Why now? Why when I need you the most?" She blinked.

"You're honestly in love with her," said a new voice. Two other people appeared. Houta and Tapae both gasped. 

"That's... her parents! Charei's mom and dad!" said Tapae. 

"Charei is the only daughter we have, you have to understand that," said her mother. "That last day... I didn't know her life would be like this. I want to protect her. But I cannot..." Her husband put his arm around her shoulders gently.

"We'll always watch her," he said. "But you can do a better job then us." And they were gone. Charei looked around, her eyes wild and lost.

"Where are my parents?" she said hurtfully. "They can't leave me again! Do you see what you've done?" Rowen knelt down in front of the little girl. Tears were running down her cheeks. 

"They've given you a chance to start over," he said quietly. "But only you can take it." He stood up again. 

"Start... over?" she asked hesitantly. "How?" He held out his hand. 

"We'll do it together," he said. She looked at her friends, then closed her eyes in thought.

"Together." She took his hand. The red light spread and engulfed them. When it cleared, they had Charei back. She was in her armor and kissing Rowen warmly. There was a cough behind them. Houta whirled around, recognizing it at once.

"Look, Mr. Date," said the apparition of Houta's mother. "You watch my little girl, got it? Or you'll have one pissed off ghost following your ass around."

"Yes ma'am," said Sage. Houta chuckled and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, mom. I got it covered," she said. The ghoul disappeared. "Well, what now?" Rowen and Charei joined them. 

"I seem to remember something about Italian," said Ryo. "Right Tapae?" Tapae looked at him, scared. "What?"

"What did you just say?" she asked. "Did you just call me 'Tapae'?" He nodded, giving her an odd look.

"That's your name, right?" She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

"Not to you, kid," she said. She kissed him warmly. "Not to you."

Epilogue- A Parent's Love

_Five Years Later_

CLICK! Sage, catching Alex before she fell in her attempt to walk over a group of tree roots. 

CLICK! Ryo and Tapae, rolling a ball to Nicca. She kept missing and having to run after it.

CLICK! Houta, pushing Lee in the baby swing. 

CLICK! Linara yelling at Kento, who tried to use Caia as a way to get food.

CLICK! Kellei and Cye, both sitting on the back porch, their heads bowed together.

CLICK! Seneca and Nicca, bumping heads, both trying to reach the ball.

"Will you put that thing down and help me?!" said Rowen. Charei lowered the camera and laughed. He was struggling with Makaro, who was trying desperately to get to her mother's flashing toy-looking thing. 

"Here, you take this," said Charei. She traded with Rowen and now Makaro tried to get to her dad. "You silly goose. Go play with Alex." She put the girl down and watched her toddle off to her friend. Nicca was watching Seneca, who was sitting on the ground crying. Cye stood up and walked over to pick up his daughter. Then Nicca started crying and Tapae picked her up.

"It's okay, sweetie. It wasn't your fault," she said. "It was just an accident." Alex was tugging at her mother's shirt. 

"Swing." she said. Houta picked her up and Sage took Lee out of the baby swing. She started crying. "Lee-so?" Alex shook her head. "Lee-so not cry. Swing." 

"You want Lee to swing, Lex-chan?" asked her dad. She nodded firmly. "Okay. Are you going to play with Makaro?" Another nod. "Okay."

Above them, cold eyes watched the happy family. 

"Six girls," said a dark voice. "All the children of my enemy. I can use this. I _will_ use this." His gaze fell on Lee, who had fallen asleep in the swing. She was the youngest, the weakest. "And you will help me, little one. Yes you will."

The End

A/n: And then again… hey, you get me bored over the summer and I'm bound to do some crazy shit.


End file.
